Jon & Tyler
by throne.craver
Summary: Tyler Hill a simple Lannister guard travelling with the royal family North with an unwanted secret and an uncertain future Give it a read, Give me your ideas as i go along, a little inspiration never hurt anybody :)
1. Tyler On The Road

The trees were gently swaying like graceful dancers from the Summer Isles. The breeze that blew south was noticeably colder than most others from the previous months and Tyler Hill knew that winter was coming. At age 16 Tyler was already far more mature and morose than any teenager should be. He removed his simple steel helm and pushed his thick gloved fingers through his sweating, shaggy, dark blonde hair. His bright green eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of life.

Tyler had been sent from Casterly Rock on personal request from Lord Tywin to protect Ser Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer. And even now he felt what he had been used to feeling his whole life; like a man with a secret that crushed his shoulders. Ser Jaime was riding two men ahead of him and Tyler quickly donned his helm in case the famous knight decided to turn his head at that moment.

So here they were, the King and the Lannisters, crawling north slower than a wounded cow. Tyler had always wanted to see the North, and the Wall. He had a lot of respect for northerners. They were fair and just and loyal, they got on with their lives in an honourable and steadfast way. In the brief moments when Tyler had had the fortune to see Lord Eddard Stark he was always awed at the presence and demeanour of the man. Lord Eddard and Lord Tywin were like a set of twins that went down the exact opposite path of life, the life of good and the life of bad. But both men went through it with the same determination and commitment that they were effectively the biggest and most feared and respected lords in the Seven Kingdoms. Which instantly made Tyler wonder why neither of them was king and Robert had the seat. After a series of thoughts he decided that it is easier to have a man on the throne to bear the weight of the common people and have others behind the scenes doing all the work.

That night Tyler sat by his own fire, he had removed his red steel armour of a Lannister guardsman and had a thick, woollen-lined, leather cloak wrapped around his shoulders to fight against the growing winter cold of the night. He heard footsteps approaching and Tyler's hand unconsciously waved down to his dagger sheathed in his boot and fingered the hilt ready to strike.

"I have seen some sad things in my time boy, but I don't think that I have ever seen a Lannister soldier sitting by himself at night on the march." Jaime Lannister said as he sat down and warmed his feet and taking a swig of wine.

Tyler remained silent and averted his eyes, he was too scared to speak, lest the knight recognise the voice and too scared to look lest the warrior catch a glimpse of his face. Lord Tywin had said that Jaime would be the one to avoid the most. Tyler had learned in his time at Casterly Rock that Lord Tywin was a man who always knew the best course of action.

"I know who you are boy. But I still haven't caught your name." Ser Jaime said almost flatly.

Tyler's heart skipped a beat when the knight spoke, always he had been scared of someone finding out. Now they had and everything was still the same, it took Tyler a while to regain his thoughts. _Best I tread carefully. _He thought to himself. "Tyler… Hill." He added with an ashamed smile.

"There have been far too many Hill's that I've met on one march or the other, but you are special are you not." Ser Jaime said in a mocking tone.

Tyler went half blank. "Just spit it out." He said sharply, instantly regretting his small outburst.

"Yes I expected that, bastards are never all that polite." Jaime said with a chuckle. "You are my half brother, are you not?"

Tyler nodded slowly and shortly.

"I must admit I have been surprised by my father many a time. But this is just a whole new level. I suppose he told you that you are the spitting image of me at your age." Jaime said taking another swig and burping.

"Aye. He also told me that if your sister found out then we would all be in for trouble."

"Trouble is such a weak word when talking about Cersei. I'd say that danger would be a far more suitable one. And I believe you mean _our _sister not _your_." He chuckled. "My father may never legitimise you but he cannot remove his blood from yours as much as he could from Tyrion… though not through lack of trying." He added with a small smirk. He got up then. "Need to piss, sleep well Tyler, I wish we could have met on our own terms."

Tyler felt like bugs were crawling and flying through his stomach. _On our own terms_. Had his father told Jaime about him? Was his father really as bad as people had told him or would he stick to his word? For the second time in his life, Tyler Hill was scared


	2. Tyler In Winterfell

The morning was crisp the day that the king's entourage first sighted Winterfell. All the people in the congregation readied themselves for the formalities. Tyler had polished his armour the knight before in the shadows as The Imp had spent the entire night reading by the fire. Tyler had seen Tyrion Lannister riding away with his squire to the village outside Winterfell that morning. It was well known that The Imp had a certain taste for whores; there would be many a brothel in the village that would be honoured to serve the queen's brother.

So far Tyler had managed to avoid Cersei the entire journey. He had always been good at making himself scarce. The entourage slowed as they approached the hard northern castle and Tyler smiled beneath his helmet at the immense size and strength that emanated an impenetrable feeling. The trumpets began blaring as the walls grew taller and taller, the first of the horde rode through the gates. Tyler was directly behind Jaime as the man rode fast up the side of the line to the point. Jaime circled his horse as they reached the castle and Tyler slowed down and laid his eyes upon Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, Warden of the North. The man had his stone mask on as the royal carriage crept towards the line of Starks.

Tyler had only ever seen Eddard and Robb before when Robb was a lot younger. He gazed at the rest of the Starks as the king dismounted and approached the kneeling northern lord. To Eddard's left was Lady Catelyn a proud looking woman with dark red hair and a young boy practically hanging from her leg. The boy could only be Rickon, the youngest Stark. To Eddard's right was Robb, just as tall as his father with his face clean shaven and his hair brushed smartly. He looked like a strong man and Tyler was impressed to see the change in the troubled youngster that had visited Casterly Rock with his father. To Robb's right was Sansa, even Tyler had heard of the young beauty of the North, a young girl but Tyler had to admit he did wonder at what a beauty she was and thought what a waste she was hidden in snow. To her right was a funny looking girl, her features were masculine and she had a rebellious look in her eyes. Tyler heard the king ask her name and heard her reply "Arya." The second eldest son was named Brandon, still a relatively young boy but still close enough to manhood to learn to stand proper in royal company. The boy had a kind and innocent look to him. Tyler could guess that he would be drilled through lessons day and night at his age. Tyler saw an older looking boy in the third row, his face bore a pain that somewhere took root deep inside Tyler as a familiar feeling, and he carved the boys face into his memory and followed the guard captain as Jaime stalked off to find The Imp.

Tyler woke at what he guessed would be roughly six hours past noon. He had been standing guard with Joffrey and The Hound in the practise ring all day that day, watching Bran and Prince Tommen spar with wooden swords. He had a mind to spend some time alone and maybe take in some of the sights and experiences of the North. As he strolled out of the hall where the Lannister guards had been housed he took in the feeling of the people around him. He sensed the camaraderie and the familiar feeling that floated through the city. Everybody knew each other and respected each other equally here, Tyler could get used to a community like this.

As he reached the archery range he saw the youth from the third row of the Stark household when the company had arrived. He was tall with curled black hair that had recently been cut. Tyler guessed that the lad was a year or two older than he was. The youth was bending back a bow as far as he could and as he released the string caught the inside of his elbow and he tried to hold in a yelp so no one would see his folly as his arrow flew over the target and clattered against the stone wall behind it. He looked around quickly and noticed Tyler standing there, out of armour, all in black.

"When you bend the bow back you have to keep some slack in your arm to avoid that happening again. it makes your shot slightly less powerful but you get to keep the skin on your arm as a reward." Tyler said softly and politely.

The youth gave a confused look and remained silent. He drew and shot in the technique Tyler had explained and the shaft slammed into the target three inches to the left of the centre target. "Thanks." He said simply, giving Tyler a glance.

"No problem." Tyler lapsed into silence as he shot three more arrows, each getting better and more accurate. When he moved to collect his arrows, Tyler ventured. "You are Jon?"

"Jon Snow, yes." He said as though his name disgusted him.

"Tyler." He said as Jon came back with the arrows. "Hill."

Jon whirled around at the sound of Tyler's last name and looked him up and down. A flash of recognition passed across his face before he masked it and turned back to his practise. "You learn how to shoot with all the others?"

"I was lucky enough that they were all grown before I could get a chance. You know northerners are a lot cleverer than they are given credit for down south." Tyler said with a smirk.

"You only need to look at you to know." Jon said simply.

"Perhaps southerners are not as smart as they give _themselves_ credit for." Tyler said.

Jon snorted with laughter just as he released his arrow ad it sailed high above the wall and the trees behind it.

The two boys burst out laughing together.


	3. Tyler At The Feast

The feast had indeed been boring. Tyler had sat close to Jon and the man had given him information about the Stark family as they drank. Telling him all about his brother Robb and the Greyjoy ward, he explained his close relationship with his sister Arya and how they both felt like outsiders. Tyler could tell that no one in the family besides Robb and his uncle had been particularly close with him and he knew the boy craved to have someone like him close by.

When everything had become messy and out of hand Tyler and Jon had slipped out and were drinking in the courtyard. Jon resented not being seated with his brothers and sisters and Tyler could tell, but Jon also knew that he was in no position to complain.

"Do your brothers and sisters know you exist?" Jon asked bluntly.

"One does now and I don't think it will be too long before the other finds out but my half sister is being kept out of the loop." Tyler shrugged. "I have no desire to become close with any of them."

"I had no choice." Jon said looking down at his feet.

"You always have a choice. You're not a slave." Tyler pointed out.

"That's one way to look at it. Did your father acknowledge you?"

"Lord Tywin did the best he could as long as the reputation of his house was not at stake." Tyler said, he chuckled suddenly. "That's all that matters to him, making his family important and powerful. But I'm a human being, I have wants and impulses. But even a bastard Lannister can help the family apparently, so here I am forced to stand guard for my fathers preferred son just because the man who sired me is too ashamed to show everyone I exist." Tyler sighed and realised his voice had been raised. "I'm sorry."

"There are days when the best thing to do is go somewhere quiet and just shout. Shout about nothing but shout as loud as you can. It gets the poisonous feelings out." Jon grinned. "But its always better when there is someone to yell with." He shouted loudly.

Tyler laughed and was about to speak when a rider came storming into the courtyard and practically jumped from his saddle. Tyler knew a northerner when he sees one, the man was bearded and had a long, hard face that reflected a seasoned warrior. Tyler saw Jon's face light up and his mind clicked, Benjen Stark the first ranger, Jon's uncle. The two men hugged halfway and Tyler hung back. Benjen's eyes flicked to him after a minute or two and Jon beckoned. Tyler was hesitant but hated being rude.

"Benjen Stark." He thrust out a gloved hand and Tyler gripped it strongly.

"Tyler Hill."

"You here with the King's lot?" He asked, sniffling.

"Afraid so. Kind of the Lord Commander to allow you out for such occasions." Tyler commented.

"Aye the Old Bear's a good man. The Stark's have been generous patrons of the Wall for generations." Benjen smiled. "I'd best go save me brother."

Jon watched his uncle stroll away with a frown on his face and Tyler could tell that something they had talked about was troubling him. "Bad news?"

Jon looked at him and hesitated but Tyler just smiled. "I've decided I want to go to The Wall. My uncle doesn't think now is the right time." He looked over at the practise dummy and Tyler knew what was going through his mind. Plenty of times a good whack on something with a sword can cure all frustrations. Jon moved to walk over to the dummy, when he got halfway Tyler drew the sword at his hip and unclipped his thick black coat. Jon stopped and Tyler heard a chuckle.

"Are you sure?" Jon queried. "I have size and reach over you, most likely strength too, no offence intended."

Tyler gave his sword a few swings and stretched his body. "Just draw your sword Snow."

Jon drew his sword and smiled. "First blood?"

"As long as there isn't too much of it."

As he finished speaking Jon darted forward and swung his sword in an upward diagonal backhand slash. Tyler shimmied ho his right and just avoided the blade, as Jon went past him he jarred his shoulder forward and connected with Jon's chest sending him off his feet and straight to the ground. Tyler took two steps back and swung his sword in an arc. Jon was on his feet quickly and this time he approached slightly more carefully. His steps were small and in a soldiers fashion, as if he were part of a shield wall. Tyler saw his back ankle twist and he ducked under a mid section slash and did a half spin to his right whipping out a right back handed slash to Jon's rib cage. Jon swung his sword side ways and only just managed to knock Tyler's sword away. Tyler rose to his feet and slapped away a thrust to his arm with his forearm on the side of the blade. Tyler whirled and laid his sword on Jon's neck gently and he drew it towards him drawing a little blood on his shoulder.

"You're too fast." Jon said laughing.

"Your master-at-arms is too slow, I learned how to be a fighter, you learned how to be a warrior." Tyler said laughing and handing Jon his handkerchief for his shoulder.

"Very impressive I must say." Came an unfamiliar voice from the darkness. "Although it would not strictly speaking be true if I said I had never seen anybody fight like that. You remind me very much of my brother Jaime whenever I see him enter in sword tourneys."

Tyler finally looked down and saw where the voice was coming from. Tyrion Lannister had arrived through the courtyard and was heading to the feast. The Imp tried to make eye contact with him but Tyler looked away and scowled. "You are gracious to say so m'lord."

"You know you look rather similar to he did at your age. Curious." He stated, and in that instant Tyler knew that he had figured it out. But he had expected this, Tyrion Lannister was known for drinking above his weight, whoring beyond his league and knowing too much for his own good. "Well boys, thank you for the show, it was most enlightening. Now I must endure a Northern feast. Good night." He waddled away smugly.

A sudden fear gripped Tyler's heart, he blurted out. "Cersei can't..."

"...Can't know, yes you have nothing to fear brother." Tyrion turned and winked just before he went inside.

Tyler breathed out heavily and Jon chuckled and slapped him on the back.


	4. Tyler Chooses His Path

Tyler had started the day looking for Jaime at the courtyard, anticipating that he would be preparing for the hunt with the King and the new Hand. When he did not find him he had looked for an hour before losing interest. The man clearly did not want to be found. Then he had heard a scream nearby. He ran to where the base of the old broken tower was and had seen Arya Stark cradling her younger brothers limp head. Tyler helped carry her to Maester Luwin who near feinted when he saw the little lord's broken body.

Tyler now sat with Jon in Jon's quarters, Jon had tears welling in his eyes and occasionally one would slowly slide down his face. He either did not notice or was entirely focused on not sobbing in front of his new friend. Even Tyler felt bad, he had only talked to the boy once since they had arrived but he had enjoyed watching him best Tommen in the practise yard. Tyler and Jon were still fairly new to each other but Tyler could not let him hold back his wave of grief so gently placed a hand on Jon's shoulder. At the touch Jon burst into tears and began stammering and apologising. Tyler embraced him full on and told him the boy was likely to live if he was not already dead. Just then a knock came at the door. Jon wiped his eyes and sat back down.

"Yes?" He said in a shaky voice.

"Is the boy with you?" He heard a strong voice say from outside the door.

"Aye." He said simply.

Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North and Hand of the King entered his bastard sons room on light feet and let Robb Stark through before gently closing the door. A silence ensued as Jon stood and Robb came forward. Both boys were red eyed and down-faced. The brothers hugged and Tyler saw Ned Stark give the slightest smile through his grief stricken features. Ned simply squeezed Jon's shoulder before gesturing everyone to sit.

"I'm sorry but I don't know your name boy." Ned said looking at Tyler.

"Tyler, m'lord. Tyler Hill." He said, struggling to meet those powerful eyes.

"I'd like to personally thank you for your quick action in getting my son to the maester. You may ask anything of me, if it is in my power to give I shall do it." Ned said sincerely

"There is but one thing I would ask of you Lord Stark." Tyler said, he paused and hesitated. "But it is not in your power to give. Do not consider my actions a favour that I did for some shallow reward, consider them a gift that I gave for the respect I have for you and your house and the friendship I have with your son." Tyler said politely.

"Very well, have it as you wish. Simply out of curiousity, what is the one thing you would have of me?" He queried.

"I don't believe you would want to hear the words spoken m'lord."

"Yet you will speak them anyway." A touch of hardness had entered his voice now.

"I would have you legitimise Jon."

"No Father." Jon said as Lord Stark rose in anger about to berate Tyler. "I'm sorry I should have said. If it were up to him I would already be, but Lady Stark would be less than pleased."

"And I would lose my inheritance." Robb said, speaking for the first time. "Not that it would have bothered me if he had been legitimised when we were younger. But I have grown up preparing to become Lord of Winterfell, to have it taken away just because you carried my little brother from one place to another would seem slightly unfair."

"I am sorry. I should not have said anything, I am a stranger here." Tyler said, but now he had a measure of the kind of people both of the Starks were; both honest and honourable men. "The subject is one I find hard to swallow." He paused for a long time. "I am Tywin Lannister's bastard."

Robb smiled but Eddard was taken aback. "Tywin with a bastard, I never would have imagined." He said, nearly to himself.

"He would say the same of you when I was back in Casterly Rock m'lord."

Eddard laughed. "I need to go and see Catelyn, she is sick with grief. Once again Tyler I thank you." Eddard strolled out of the room but Robb remained seated.

"Now is as good a time as any." Robb said as he slyly slipped a cask of wine out from underneath his massive cloak.

Jon chuckled lightly and Tyler smiled bringing over a small table and three cups and laid it between them. Robb poured for the two bastards and they clinked their cups together before swigging back enough to warm their bellies against the harsh winter chill.

"Will he die?" Jon asked quietly.

"I know he won't." Robb said strongly.

"But how do you know? Are you a healer?"

"I believe with all my heart he won't" Robb corrected himself. "Looking forward to going home tomorrow Tyler?" He said obviously keen to change the subject.

Tyler laughed. "Home? The North feels more like home than Casterly Rock ever did and I've only been here a few days."

"Our father made you an offer. When he leaves, I will be Lord of Winterfell. I would like to pre-emptively make you an offer also for your valiant service in carrying our little brother to Maester Luwin. Jon, while we were hunting Uncle Benjen told me that you were of a mind to take the black. I would make the same offer for the both of you. Father is taking Jory Cassel, our captain of guard, to King's Landing with him. I would appoint the two of you as co-leaders of the guards in Winterfell." Robb said smiling charmingly.

Tyler was about to answer when a knock came at the door. "Is the Lannister guard that saved young Brandon in there?" a familiar voice said.

Tyler quickly stood and left the bewildered boys sitting and drinking as he rushed out the door. Jaime Lannister stood leaning against the wall on the other side. "The Hero of Winterfell." He said sarcastically. "Very admirable of you to be protecting the Stark's while you are on duty to be protecting me."

"The fact that Father believes you need protecting is still beyond me. I searched for you Ser but I thought that you did not want to be found." Tyler said, instantly regretting his familiar tone. Seeing Jon and Robb together had made him hungry for such a relationship with his brother.

"Very perceptive brother, now think carefully about what you just said and it may happen that you discover why I am here right now, I want to see just how perceptive you are." He said smugly.

Tyler thought back on his words, Jaime had already let him know that he was right about him not wanting to be found. _So it must have something to do with father and me being appointed to protect Jaime. What was it he had said? _'I wish we could have met on our own terms.' _His father had obviously sent Tyler north for a reason that remained hidden from him. Then it all clicked into place. The fucking Wall!_ "Lord Tywin commands me to take the black." He said, instead of asked.

"He has already had you dismissed from your duties as a guardsman." He paused. "This must have been the hardest decision my father has made. You have my build, looks and abilities and you have my little brother's sharp mind. You could have ruled the world if your last name was Lannister." He smiled. "I am sorry boy." He left then with a sad look on his face.

_He actually believes that because my father commands something all the way from Casterly Rock that I will simply obey and go spend the rest of my life in a frozen celibate depression. My father has given up on me. _It was a thought that caused a dull pain to sit inside Tyler's heart, but it was a fact, a fact that Tyler knew he could do nothing to change, his father was a stern and steadfast man.

He realised how long he had been standing in the hallway and quickly went back inside. Robb and Jon were playing the Braavosi knife game where you stab between all your fingers as fast as you can on the table. Jon lay the knife down when Tyler entered.

"Are you alright?" Jon asked. Tyler had obviously not been as successful at hiding his emotions as he had hoped.

"Lord Tywin Lannister has commanded me to join the Night's Watch."

Jon's eyes lit up, and the exact same thought crossed Tyler's mind. _No matter what I choose we will do it together._ Robb did not see the look but instead said. "What does this mean for the offer I gave you?"

"Lord Tywin has already had me dismissed from guard duty. I am a man with no obligations but to myself." Tyler gave the offer one last consideration. He drew his sword and both the boys flinched but when Tyler went down on his knee and put his sword point down in front of him. "Robb, of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, I swear my sword to you, I swear my loyalty to you, and I swear my life to you. I will serve you until the day I die and not a minute less."

Jon instantly knelt beside him and drew his sword. Robb looked taken aback briefly and chuckled. Jon said the same words and Robb laughed, pouring the boys another drink. He picked up the knife and began stabbing it between his fingers.


	5. Tyler and the Assassin

The Royal procession had left weeks ago. Tyler was happy. His dark grey padded cloak, lined with bear's fur at the top was difficult and heavy to remove as he walked into the lord's solar and attempted to hang it on the rack by the door. The dark of the night threatened to swallow the small stone room but the candle on the table and the fire in the corner fought for light and warmth. Tyler wore the dark brown leather armour of a Stark guard with no helm and a sword and dagger tightened high around his waist. He removed his tight woollen gloves and scurried to the fire, quickly trying to restore feeling to his fingers.

Since Lord Eddard Stark had left and Lady Stark was near crazed with grief for young Bran, Maester Luwin had been attempting to take the lord's responsibilities as well as his own. Robb would rectify that soon enough and then Tyler's appointment as co-captain would be secure. He had spent the past few weeks in a drunken and violent blur. Lord Tywin was fond of saying that northerners were, by nature, as difficult a people to please as women. Tyler had discovered this when he began frequenting the Winterfell guard's mead houses and taverns. Jon was guaranteed to be followed with utter loyalty because of his blood, but Tyler needed to prove to the men that he was worthy to lead them. This had not only entailed his serving a few shifts in the common sector dealing with thieves and liars. The duty captain had made him take off a thief's hand with a cleaver and slice out a liar's tongue with a white-hot knife. When they weren't on duty, all the guards would quiz him about his past, his service as a Lannister guard, what he would do were he in this or that situation. They made him compete in drinking contests and arm wrestles, swordplay sparring and archery competitions. Tyler did not always win, but every time the men had remarked upon his skill, and if there was one thing he was superior at to all of them, it was drinking. The northerners had been mighty impressed by that, which even in Tyler's eyes was understandable. He had always been able to consume a large amount of ale and maintain a level head.

Tyler put his gloves back on and sat in the desk chair opposite the lord's seat as he heard voices and footsteps creeping closer his way. He also heard low grumbles and padded, fast feet. His heart leapt, he had grown increasingly fond of the direwolves as they had become close to him.

Robb and Jon wandered into the solar and greeted him each with a nod of the head. "It is settled. The guards have no quarrel with a co-captainship and even less quarrel with our golden haired friend here." Robb smiled. "Tonight I shall see Maester Luwin and assert my authority as Lord." Grey Wind moved into the room behind him but as always Ghost would await outside; watching and sniffing around in loneliness.

"How did the other thing go?" Tyler asked tiredly.

"Much as I expected, Rodrik is a loyal man, he will have no problem with your command also." Robb said simply.

Tyler smiled, Jon saw and grinned also. "We did it." He said almost in disbelief.

"You are now an honorary northerner." Robb said with a chuckle. "How does it feel?"

"Cold, but fulfilling. Again I thank you deeply for this Lord Robb, I will not fail you." Tyler said, suddenly feeling rather emotional. He tried to stifle it.

Jon sat down next to Tyler just as Robb stood up. "You have no need to thank me Tyler, you are an honourable man and you deserve it, it is no gift, whether it started out that way or not. Now if you will excuse me I believe I will pay a visit to Maester Luwin and look in on Bran." He left with an enormous grin on his face.

"He will make a fantastic leader." Tyler said as the door closed behind their lord.

"I certainly hope he will. Winterfell will need it now that father is gone." Jon said as he stood and collected more candles and sat them on the table.

"Robb will be announced in the morning?"

"More than likely, as soon as that is done we can move our belongings into the Captain's Quarters." Jon said, the prospect of the two of them living together plainly excited him on the same scale it did to Tyler.

"I just finished cleaning it out not two hours ago." Something that had recently been bugging him came to mind. "Do you think that the people of Winterfell would respect me more were I to destroy my Lannister Guard's Armour?"

"Perhaps the higher class will but it is not them you need concern yourself with. If you would like to keep it that is your choice." Jon said as he used the lit candle to light the others. The room glowed slightly brighter but something quickly occurred to Jon as his face lit up suddenly.

"What is it?" Tyler said looking out the window, seeing it instantly.

"Fire. Go to Robb." He said simply as he rushed out the door the sound of Ghost's feet following fast behind him.

Tyler threw his cloak on and ran down the stairs and heard Catelyn screaming something, he rushed down the hall and saw Robb running out of the room. Robb saw him and slowed. "See to my mother; make sure she remains safe where she is. Me and Jon can handle this."

Tyler did as he was bid, he turned into the room to see Catelyn staring out the window at the fire "M'lady, all will be okay, Robb will not let it spread." He said softly.

Lady Stark turned with a dismayed look on her face, but suddenly it turned to fear. For a split second Tyler did not understand why she feared him, but he heard a shuffle behind him and threw his shoulder into the floor, twisting as he rolled. He came up facing the doorway and a lowborn scumbag with a highborn dagger was standing there with a half worried look on his face. "There weren't s'posed to be no one 'ere. It's a mercy; he's dead to the world already." His voice slightly breaking in fear.

Bran's room was far too small for Tyler to wield his longsword with freedom so he drew his dagger from behind his back and twirled it in his hand. The man was more than likely just some idiot paid to draw the knife across a young boy's throat but Tyler did not want to rely on that assumption, the man darted forward with an utterly predictable swing. Tyler grabbed the wrist that held the dagger and slammed his own dagger through cloth and flesh, the expensive dagger dropped from the man's hand but his left hand clobbered into Tyler's unprotected jaw. Tyler took the hit and head butted the assassin in the nose hearing a sickening crack and a squeal of pain. When he hit the ground Tyler clamoured over him and rammed the hilt of his dagger into the side of the clumsy assassin's head. He was knocked out instantaneously.

Tyler stood up slowly as Bran's wolf came padding into the room and saw the threat, it immediately jumped for the man's throat but Lady Stark's harsh voice cut in. "Wolf! Back!"

Tyler grabbed Bran's wolf by the scruff of the neck and held it close, the wolf eventually calmed down. "Thank you m'lady, he will be much easier to question with his throat in tact."

"No! Thank you Tyler. You have saved my life, if you were not here my son and I would surely have been slain." She quickly ran to him and gave him a small embrace of gratitude.

Tyler bowed his head. "You honour me m'lady, I was simply doing my duty."

Catelyn went into a draw nearby and found some ribbon that would serve as rope. "Bind him, we will wait for Robb to return and then I want you to question him until he is singing the truth."

The godswood was breezy and a light snow was falling around the group that had assembled the next afternoon. Catelyn Stark stood at the head, she quickly told them of her investigation of the tower, she showed them the strand of hair and Tyler held back his disgust. _These people are my kin._ Theon Greyjoy, Rodrik Cassel, Maester Luwin, Jon and Robb were all also gathered.

"It is my belief that the Lannister's are responsible for Bran's fall as well as the hired knife. The golden hair, the expensive dagger and the coincidental timing of the royal visit are the only proof I can offer however. Nevertheless, this information must be brought to my husband. He is surrounded by lions and his pack is not strong enough to fight them off. I do not trust a bird with these words and a rider is just as fickle. One of us must bring these words to Lord Stark." She said, briefly scanning each man.

Tyler was just about to opt up when he hear Jon's voice barely manage a squeak, it was always this way when he was in Lady Stark's company. He cleared his throat. "I will go." He said quietly.

Lady Stark's face had been hard before, now it looked murderous, she gulped back her anger but the silence remained. Robb quickly broke it. "Why you brother?" Tyler stole a glance at Catelyn and saw her shudder at the word brother.

"No one in King's Landing knows or even cares who I am, a quick disguise and no one will notice my likeness to Lord Eddard either."

Lady Stark looked as though she had seized up. "It is settled then." She said and briskly walked away, Robb and Luwin quickly following behind.

Tyler walked slowly behind with Jon and Theon and Rodrik remained behind and prayed. "This man isn't singing yet?" Theon asked curiously. "Have you not been harsh enough?"

"We have not begun yet, but me and Jon have a plan." Tyler said as the bastards smiled briefly at each other.

"You surprised by your siblings?" Theon asked bluntly.

"I hardly knew my siblings. My father always said my sister was a fool though." He smiled as he thought of it.

"Excuse us Theon, we have a song to compose." Jon said shoving him out the way and walking into the Guard Captain's quarters. They had moved all their belongings in straight after Robb held court in the Great Hall and told Winterfell that he would now be their Lord. The assassin was locked in a small cell that was attached to their quarters, meant for the more high profile of prisoners.

"You go in soft, I burst in strong." Jon repeated for the hundredth time. Tyler chuckled and opened the door to the cell room.

The man had been beaten senseless after Robb had returned from battling the fire and found out what happened. His face was bruised and split in too many different places to count. Tyler picked up the full pail of water on the seat outside the cell and threw it at the man. He awoke with a start, seemed to remember where he was and then groaned.

"You do realise that you will die? Gold is no use to a corpse." Tyler pointed out to him. "Why be paid to kill a small boy if you cannot enjoy the spoils?"

The man sat their silent as the grave. "You need only say one name and you will have your life back." Tyler continued. "We both know who sent you, all you need to do is tell me and your involvement in this scheme is at an end. We will bring justice to the culprits and you will be treated gently. They cannot save you up here, if that is what you are waiting for. If you co-operate with me things will go much easier for you. My friend is just outside, you tried to kill his half brother last night and he didn't get a turn at hitting you like the other one did. If you insist upon this silence I shall be forced to let him in here."

Tyler waited for a few seconds, the man turned his back and Tyler laughed as he stood to open the door. "Okay wait." The man said

Tyler stopped and turned. "One name and it is all over for you."

"Cersei Lannister." He said.

"Perfect." Tyler strode out of the room and summoned one of his guards. He quickly scribbled a note to Catelyn. _Confession successful: Cersei Lannister_. "Take this to Lady Stark immediately; I don't care if she's sleeping, bathing or sewing." The guard rushed off immediately after Tyler thanked him. He turned to Jon, "the queen."

"This will change everything, we now have undeniable proof." Jon said astonished.

"Your father will be pleased. My family will be beaten back down and yours shall be powerful and loved. The realm may actually prosper now." Tyler laughed.

"Still... Ghost was looking forward to interrogating the assassin. Weren't you Ghost?" Jon said running his hands through the white direwolves coat.

"We must keep in mind that we are not in the clear yet, my father is a dangerous man, and he will not likely give up his families hold over the realm so easily." Tyler said solemnly.

"Aye, right you are there, but for now I believe a drink is in order." Jon said.


	6. Tyler is Tempted

The mood in Winterfell was joyous. Brandon Stark was awake, crippled, but alive and otherwise healthy. His mother had been his strength the past few weeks; she would take him out with the giant stable boy Hodor to the godswood or the fields outside the city walls with a picnic, his little brother an the wolves. It was the small pleasures that seemed to keep the boy going but Robb had told him that when he asked if his legs would work again and Robb gave him the truth that the boy had said he would rather die. Tyler had gone to him soon after that. Bran and Tyler had become close; Tyler would tell him about all the cripples in history who made a difference to the world, he would tell him all the things to do that did not require legs and Brandon soon took up some of these skills and hobbies.

Tyler sat with Bran and Rickon in the godswood now and they watched some of the lowborn children of the castle playing a tackling game over the lake. Bran was trying to assemble a group of model knights and horsemen into a battle formation that Tyler had shown him. Rickon was climbing all over his direwolf Shaggydog. Bran had named his wolf Summer when he had awoken and Ghost and Summer were now tumbling about in the dirt playfully fighting over a stick that Theon had thrown for them. Jon had wisely left Ghost in Winterfell when he left south with Rodrik and forty men. Tyler had often found himself fearing for his friend's life but the realm was peaceful at the moment, it was unlikely that they would be harassed along the road.

"Is that right Ty?" Bran said, the younger Stark's were fond of calling him that.

Tyler examined the layout of the figurines and smirked. "You have made one small mistake, I will give you one minute to figure out what it is and fix it."

"Again!?" He groaned, but met the challenge with the same ferocity as all the previous times.

Tyler saw one of the children make a sudden dash towards them looking over his shoulder, Ghost was startled by the sudden movement and pounced at the child. Tyler's heart stopped. "GHOST! NO!" He boomed at the top of his voice.

The white direwolf twisted in mid air just missing the child and he slinked towards Tyler and lay down at his lap. Tyler gently stroked the beast's fur and scratched his ears. Ghost gave a low grumble and settled his head down.

One of Tyler's shift captains, Jadyn Snow, a middle aged man with a bushy, black, braided beard and a shaved head ran to his side. "Lord Stark requests your attention at the Northern Gates, we have visitors captain."

Tyler pushed Ghosts head off of his lap. "Hodor!" The big stable boy came ambling up from behind them. "Help Bran to the hall, Theon we have guests, no doubt Robb will require you in the hall. Jadyn, if you would please watch over Rickon here until I send for him or you." Tyler didn't wait for an answer and departed, swinging his dark grey cloak over his shoulders and fastening it loosely. He wore light iron over his leather armour today, the armour of a captain, only greaves and a breastplate however.

When he reached the gate he found four travellers being lead in by a guard. "Tyrion Lannister and a black brother captain." The guard said casually.

"Thank you, keep the gates open, I saw the food wagon leaving the castle when I passed." Tyler warned the guardsman. "Lord Robb is expecting you, if you will follow me m'lords?"

"I'm no lord boy, names Yoren." The gruff looking warrior said.

Tyrion Lannister was smirking at him. "Jaime led me to believe that you would be accompanying me to the Wall."

"Well met Yoren. I know not what you mean Lord Tyrion. I assure you that any confusion was completely unnecessary." He said carefully.

"I do not doubt it. If it please you a chance to talk alone might do us a world of good." Tyrion said plainly.

The rest of the ride went silently; the people of Winterfell came out in dribs and drabs to see the Imp ride past with the black brother. Some smiled and waved to Tyler and some even said good morning. "Not many southerners find it very easy to find love among the northern people. I commend you ser." Tyrion said amicably.

"I'm no sir." Tyler said scornfully.

"I suppose I can see that, I would not call you the prettiest of maidens but I have seen worse believe me." Tyrion said with a straight face.

"Hold you're tongue Imp." Tyler warned, deepening his voice.

"I may have just regressed to my childhood. You sounded much like my lord father." He teased.

Tyler opened the door to the great hall. "Inside." He said gesturing with his hands.

Tyler followed them in swiftly and stepped before Robb bowing deeply from the waist before saying in a raised voice. "Tyrion son of Tywin of House Lannister and Yoren, a sworn brother of the Night's Watch, here to ask hospitality of Robb of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell." He withdrew and allowed the guests to step forward. Maester Luwin and Catelyn leaned in to whisper in Robb's ear. He looked annoyed and put on his lord's face.

"The hospitality of Winterfell is yours gentlemen. Lord Tyrion how did you find the Wall?" Robb asked with well feigned curiosity.

"Cold and foreboding, much as everybody warned me. And how is young Brandon? I had heard that he awoke." Tyrion said with genuine concern showing on his face, although he was known for being devious and a tremendous liar. _I cannot trust this man_.

"Hodor!" The giant screamed as he entered the room panting and puffing from the run. Bran was cradled in his arms like a small child. "Hodor hodor hodor!"

"So it's true." Tyrion said to himself, Tyler thought he heard grief in his words. "Would you're charming companion be so kind as to kneel, my neck is beginning to hurt."

"Kneel Hodor." Bran said as they came upon Tyrion.

"How do you do Bran?"

"Fine thank you m'lord." Bran said harshly and sarcastically.

"Do you like to ride?" Tyrion asked loudly.

"What cruel joke is that? He is a crippled boy. Would you remind him that he can no longer fight also?" Theon Greyjoy said fiercely.

"Even a cripple can ride, with the right equipment. You must start with a yearling and train it to respond to the reins and to Brandon's voice. It will need to be a gentle horse and patient. Dealing with all the straps will not be a swift process." Tyrion said, the hall fell silent for some time and Tyrion looked around; apparently amused.

Finally Lady Stark broke the silence. "We thank you Lord Tyrion, now if you will excuse us, the court must open itself to our petitioners."

"Of course sweet lady. I bid you many thanks for your kind hospitality." Tyrion said spinning on his heel and waddling out of the room.

Tyler left to the godswood and sent Jadyn to be the captain on duty in court to protect the lord. He was tired. Earlier that day he had been running Rickon through drills with wooden swords in Ser Rodrik's absence. The young boy had endless amounts of energy and he was wild with is sword swinging it like a madman. It had taken Tyler almost three hours to teach him to slow up and be patient. He wondered how often the boy wore the old northern knight's patience to the bone.

When Tyler reached his quarters he quickly took off his ceremonial armour and donned his favourite clothes. He was often fond of wearing black but since he had been in Winterfell he had started wearing a lot of grey and brown clothes. He now wore a brown, leather quilted doublet, tight, black, warm leggings with long, buckled black, riding boots and a brown tunic beneath his doublet with tight sleeves. Tyler sat down on the comfortable chair that sat in front of the fire and began cleaning blood off of his guardsmen's gauntlets. He had to beat a stubborn angry man today who had been in a fight and could not believe it was not justified when he knocked the other fighter out. He had insulted Tyler in front of his men. Tyler had been forced to beat him and imprison him. Luckily the blood had not crusted and it came off easy. Tyler got up and began pouring himself some mead when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in brother." Tyler said, he couldn't help but smile as Tyrion came waddling through the door awkwardly.

"Could I trouble you for a mug of that? Talking is always such fun with a cup of wine in hand." Tyrion said plainly.

"It is only mead." He said as he quickly poured another and handed it to the Imp.

"Who is the charming creature I see through there?" Tyrion said indicating to the cell that held the man he had beaten

"Oh that would be Gerold Cray, my latest brave knight to volunteer for the wall." Tyler laughed. "Isn't that right Cray?" he called.

"Fuck yourself you golden-haired cunt." Cray called back.

"Of course instead I could have just chopped his hands off but he is such a sweet talker I couldn't do it." Tyler said as Tyrion chuckled and closed the door to the cell. "So you went to see the wall?"

"Indeed I did, a most foreboding sight but nevertheless I accomplished my goal to piss of the edge of the world and I lust for the warmth of the south." Tyrion said simply. "Commander Mormont expressed his need for aid as Yoren no doubt told you. I'm afraid our brave knight back there will not be enough for them. The Old Bear was lead to understand by father that you would be coming. He was most disappointed when you did not arrive with me. They are crying out for good men there."

"Lord Robb will see to the Wall in time. House Stark has more important duties right now." Tyler said, unwilling to elaborate.

Tyrion looked suspicious but did not press him. "Father raised you as one of his own?" he said after a long silence

"Only in private, he was more ashamed of me than he was of you. At least he acknowledged your existence." Tyler said.

"He loved you but was ashamed of you. He hates me and is ashamed of me; I would say you had the better of it." Tyrion said almost grudgingly.

"Father admitted to me how alike the two of you are. He said he would never tell anybody else that, only me because I was forbidden to talk about my closeness with him." Tyler laughed. "He may not love you, but he admits you are his son in more that just blood."

"Thank you. Nobody else has ever bothered telling me the good side." Tyrion chuckled. "I suppose they believe all dwarves are pessimists, and why would we not be?" He asked rhetorically.

Tyler drained his cup and filled another. "Father does not make use of your talents?"

"When I reached manhood he put me in charge of the sewers and drains at the Rock. I did as well as any man could in that position but Father could not see past my height." Tyrion said broodingly. "Of late? No he does not; right now my only job is to be the queen's brother. A rather easy way to get paid if you ask me, I like feeling useful though."

"A clever man can find his path, a clever Lannister can make it where he chooses." Tyler recited.

"One of father's sayings, very droll." Tyrion contemplated for a while "To do such a thing I would need assistance from a strong capable lad with a talent for violence."

Tyler simply shook his head. "You enjoy carrying water for the Stark's?" Tyrion said almost harshly

"Here is where I feel at home, and these people are as a family to me, and I to them." Tyler said strongly, without a hint of hesitation.

"It is plain you are just as clever as I am, and it is obvious you are almost as fearsome as Jaime. Become my sworn sword and companion and we can take Casterly Rock. Jaime is a Kingsguard, sworn from inheritance; Cersei left her family to become a Baratheon. The Rock is mine by rights but somehow I feel as though my father would be hesitant to let me have it. With your help I can ensure that my rights are given to me and you can reap the benefits as I will. It is so much warmer in the west too." He added amusingly.

Tyler was taken aback. He had not thought about it in this way. Lord Tywin had never made mention of who his inheritance would go to, but his disdain for the Imp was an obvious fact. Tyler did not think that the Warden of the West would give up his Rock so easily to the little lion. Tyler knew that he could do it, but all there was for him down that road was Tyrion. As much as he liked the little man he enjoyed the feeling of family that he received in Winterfell.

"I am sorry brother but my place is here now, I have already sworn my sword and my life to Lord Robb, I will serve him truly and faithfully until my death." Tyler said. "But had you approached me before you left for the Wall I would have gladly sworn my sword to you." He stated politely.

"Well bully for me, I thank you for the talk brother it has been most pleasurable. I do hope we meet again." Tyrion said awkwardly as he pushed himself to his feet and slowly left the room.

Tyler sat for a while thinking of the Imp before he realised that his head was swimming, the mead had gotten to him and he stumbled over to his cot and fell face first onto the hard mattress. Sleep took him almost instantly. His dreams were dark and confusing, he saw a cave and a small boy covered in blood, He saw Jaime in his Kingsguard armour and a stag lying dead and rotting at his feet, his golden sword dripping with blood.

_A Few Days Later_

Tyler always stretched his legs and arms for a long time before any practise bout. Jadyn Snow was doing the same. The under captain had immense weight on him but Tyler knew Jadyn was too slow to ever stand a chance against him; Jadyn meant to get better though. Tyler gave him his fitness training methods and Jadyn had been doing little else in the hours he wasn't working.

"You ready Captain?" He called across the yard.

"Anytime you are Jadyn." He said chuckling. He drew his longsword and twirled it in his hands. The guards around them began murmuring and chuckling at Jadyn.

Jadyn drew his sword also. He hesitated for a few seconds and Tyler readied his stance. Jadyn pounced but just as he was upon him a voice called out.

"Captain Tyler! Captain!" A young boy that Tyler recognised as one of Luwin's helpers brought him a piece of paper.

"Wulf! Show Jadyn how to block a cut please." Tyler said laughing as he gave the boy a stag for his work, winked at the awestruck boy who had never held a silver coin in his life and sent him on his way.

_Tyler, I caught up with Father just outside the city, a tournament is to be held in honour of his appointment as Hand, I will pose as a fake northern knight and keep close to him. So far he has had me working with the bald eunuch Lord Varys. I have written the document about the witness on behalf of the Winterfell guards already. No doubt when all of this is revealed the King will want to speak with the assassin, his safety is of paramount importance, father does not think it wise to have you in the city just yet, send someone appropriate to escort the prisoner. Me and Varys have been spending much time investigating Lord Arryn's death. We have found some interesting things that I would love to tell you of when you arrive, looking forward to seeing you again and do not forget to snuff the fire out before you sleep each night or it is like to burn the building down._

Tyler laughed. Jon already knew him too well, he had forgotten about the fire many times since his departure and the corner of the rug beside the fire was blackened from being singed. Tyler excused himself from his men and began the short walk to the lord's solar. When Tyler walked inside Grey Wind lifted his head and rushed over licking Tyler's fingers. Tyler put the letter in his mouth and gestured to Robb, Grey Wind carried it to Robb and dropped it in his lap.

"I don't think I will ever tire of seeing him do that." Tyler said as Robb began reading the letter.

Robb chuckled. "You should see him when he flips backwards. It's unbelievable."

Tyler scratched Grey Wind's ears and sat down opposite Robb as his eyes skimmed through the letter. Robb looked up "One of your guardsman should suffice I think. Nothing else in this seems particularly important to me."

"Lord Varys is not the only lord who hears whispers my lord. When I was at Casterly Rock, Lord Tywin had a man similar to Varys who informed him on the happenings all around Westeros. Lord Tywin is not half so stupid as the people of King's Landing to believe that Jon is anyone else but who he is. Sending Ser Rodrik with him was also a mistake if I might say so m'lord. Rodrik will undoubtedly not take part in any of the tournament, this will call into question why he is there and what he is doing, as well as the men around him. You must command Rodrik to take part in the sword tourney if nothing else." Tyler said gently.

"I don't know what we would do without you Tyler." Robb said almost amazed when Tyler had finished.

"One more thing my lord?"

"Of course, please speak." He said.

"I was not without close friends at Casterly Rock. You will need eyes and ears around Lord Tywin in the months to come believe me. He will be furious when we imprison his daughter. Let me send a few ravens to the West and within the week we will no every step that my father takes." Tyler said.

Robb thought long and hard. Northern honour still perplexed Tyler somewhat, he knew that Robb was thinking about his morals and wondered why. _If they are content to send out scouts, why not pay spies._

"Send your birds; we cannot afford to let Lord Tywin gain the upper hand." Robb said in his lordly voice.

Tyler bowed his head and left the solar swiftly.


	7. Tyler and the Boy Stark

"Captain Tyler Hill." The innkeeper said for almost the tenth time. _His fake courtesy will be the very thing that causes his death soon_. "Please, it is no difficult task to direct your men to take the violence outside. They broke two of my chairs and a table in that fight."

Tyler sighed. "I care not about your tables and chairs Ralf, I care about keeping Winterfell safe in the name of Lord Robb Stark. When we hear of a crime we ensure justice is served wherever and whenever possible. I will instruct the guards to pay for the rebuilding of your precious furniture, now if you will excuse me I have far more pressing matters to attend to." Tyler stood, prompting the innkeeper Ralf to stand also, Ralf thanked him and said farewell almost a dozen times before leaving.

Jadyn was laughing hysterically when he closed the door behind him. "Not a word Jadyn, or I'm like to take my anger out on you." He said teasingly.

"I'm sorry captain." He said between chuckles. "Jory would have exploded at the man a long time ago, you've got good patience."

He pulled out a small handful of copper coins from his money purse and handed them to Jadyn. "See that the chairs and table are rebuilt." _First rule of Captain of Guard: After the Starks your men come first._ Tyler would not let his men pay for it and he had enough money to spare. "You are in charge here, it is time for Rickon's lesson." Tyler said feeling his heart flutter in excitement. Over the past few weeks during their lessons he and Rickon had become incredibly close. Rickon always felt ignored among his family and so he acted out. When Tyler related to him Rickon had been overjoyed and now Rickon would only listen to Tyler. He had been fetched many a morning by Maester Luwin to get Rickon motivated for his lessons.

Tyler threw his cloak over his shoulders and fastened it over his armour. "Ghost, with me!" He called, the growing white direwolf sprung from the floor next to Tyler's desk and padded to his side. Tyler patted his back and smiled, the guardsmen had made Ghost their unofficial mascot, he would play with them in the practise yard at the barracks and sometimes help them subdue criminals when they were on duty. In Jon's absence Tyler kept Ghost by his side to keep the men happy. Ghost seemed somewhat uncomfortable around him still and he kept a small distance, although when they were home alone Ghost would lie by the fire as he gnawed a bone and Tyler would pat him as he read reports.

Tyler walked through the town below the castle in his leather armour and heavy grey cloak. He kept one hand resting on the pommel of his sword and walked in a brisk pace. People waved and smiled at him as he passed and a few even stopped to chat with him. He met many of the commoners when he was doing his duties and most of them liked him and tried to keep in contact. Tyler was lucky that Maester Creylen had taught him a good way to remember names when he was young or else the people may not like him so much. He entered the courtyard to the castle quickly and strolled into the practise yard. Tyler had expected to find Rickon waiting there with his mother but he remembered that she was busy seeing to Bran's new saddle this morning, putting the finishing touches to it with the saddle master.

Tyler sighed and strolled into the castle, he twisted and turned through the now familiar maze of hallways and found his way to Rickon's sleeping quarters. He heard the young boy counting slowly and quietly inside and stayed without for a while. Rickon could not manage to count very high and whenever he could not remember a number he groaned. Tyler managed to hold back a laugh and knocked gently on the door. No answer came so he opened the door slowly and saw Rickon pretending to sleep facing away from him.

"It's Captain Tyler m'lord." He said quietly. "I'm afraid it's time for your lesson."

Rickon turned swiftly and smiled. "I thought you might be the Maester. I can't do it Ty! It's just stupid! I'm not going today!" Rickon declared emotionally. "I want to practise fighting though; I want to be as strong as my father."

"Your father is strong not only because of his arm but because his mind is strong also. It is his intelligence as well as his strength that makes men fear and respect him." Tyler said softly. "You must be patient Rick, do not fight with Maester Luwin, listen to him and let him help you, that is what Robb and Jon and Theon had to do and it is what Bran is doing now."

"Okay Ty." He said submissively. "Can we fight now?"

"Not fight. Train." Tyler corrected. "And yes we can, get up and changed quick smart." He said clapping his hands and leaving the room.

Tyler waited outside until the six year old appeared with Lord Robb. "I've come to watch how he's getting on and help where I can." He said simply as they clasped hands and he drew Tyler into a hug.

"I thank you m'lord." Tyler said. "Rickon you know what you need to do, we can't train with the swords until you've gone through the methods three times. Get to it, your brother wants to see you train."

Rickon dashed to the exercise structures and began the strength and fitness workouts that Tyler had taught his. He was not particularly good at the chin ups but his running had improved and he could do push ups for much longer now. Robb chuckled as Rickon went through the routine again with wild ferocity. He flung himself and all his energy into each task and movement. Tyler commended him for his commitment but even Robb made a note about him needing to conserve his energy; as anyone who had seen the boy train would say. When Rickon had been through a third time he dashed back to them panting heavily. Tyler handed him a mug of water and told him to sip it slowly.

"Now I want you to use the heavier sword today, it will make your arms stronger and you will be able to door more chin ups. Run off and fetch it now." Tyler said smiling at him. The boy scurried off.

"We all thank you for paying close attention to him." Robb said beside him suddenly.

"It is no problem m'lord, it's what he needs at this age and you're all far too busy these days." Tyler said simply.

"You are a very good friend to this family Tyler, you have proved yourself time and again. You have been as a brother to Jon and me, and us to you; I know." Robb said, looking in his eyes.

Rickon returned then and handed Tyler his own wooden sword. Tyler wanted to grab Robb and hug him, he wanted to cry and tell him what it meant that he had said that but he just walked to the circle with Rickon and began lightly running him through defence drills without a shield. Rickon was impatient with defence but Tyler would whack him extra hard when he slipped through so the boy would learn. One time Rickon's sword dropped in his hand and Tyler gave him a thump on the ear. The boy ran at Tyler and wrapped his legs up dropping him down. They wrestled playfully and Robb stood back howling with laughter.

"How ling since you've been in the ring m'lord?" Tyler ventured when they were having a break.

Robb tore a chunk of bread off his loaf and ate it. "The royal visit I suppose. Joffrey was not much of an opponent believe me."

Would you prefer to face someone a bit more practised?" He said cheekily.

"You?"

"That is what I was driving at m'lord, yes." He smiled shyly.

"I have seen Jadyn Snow after your practise bouts Tyler, how suicidal do you think I am?" He said humorously. "But I cannot allow a guardsman to look more courageous than me, now can I?"

"I suppose not m'lord."

Robb stood and grabbed one of the blunted metal tourney swords and drew it from the scabbard. He let his cloak drop and stood in the circle in his fighting stance. Tyler grabbed the sword next to it on the rack and drew it. He got into his stance and chuckled "You ready m'lord?"

Robb answered by putting his front foot forward and slashing in an upward diagonal direction. _An unusual beginning, he will try and confuse me_. Tyler swayed to his left and let the sword cut through air. He whipped a one handed back hand cut at Robb's leg but he spun away behind Tyler and threw down an overhead swing. Tyler spun top his right and went to his knees, gripping his longsword with two hands he blocked the swing and pushed Robb's sword off of his own. He flicked his wrist and his sword went for a side slash at Robb's ribcage. Robb parried it awkwardly and shimmied back as Tyler struggled to his knees and used the momentum to send a strong thrust at Robb's mid section. Robb jumped to the side and swung at Tyler in mid air. The slash was a strong one and Tyler ducked just underneath it. He threw his body forward and he clattered into Lord Robb and the two went sprawling to the floor. They rolled away from each other, grabbed their swords and began circling each other again. _He is so powerful, a formidable foe_, Tyler thought suddenly, _I need to be careful._ He switched his stance and Robb looked confused for a second. Then he sprung forward, he spun and sent a downward slash at Tyler, the move was meant to disorientate him but he whipped his sword up at the last second and Robb's sword slid along his own until it reached the end and the blade hit the ground. Tyler flicked his wrist again and his sword was at Robb's neck.

Robb chuckled slowly. "Wow." He said simply. "Your speed is unmatchable. You've taught me more than I knew already. We shall need to make a habit of this."

"Of course m'lord, I have never fought someone as ferocious as you." Tyler said honestly.

"That was amazing!" Rickon cheered, he was grinning ear to ear. "Will you beat him next time Robb?"

"I highly doubt that Rick. Our Captain Tyler here is one of the best swordsmen I have seen." He said looking at Tyler, he nodded his thanks.

The sound of nearby footsteps drew their attention and Tyler turned to see Maester Luwin and Lady Catelyn Stark approaching. "Robb, the hour to hold court is close." Catelyn warned him.

Robb sighed. "Now I must don my lordly clothes and my lordly face and listen to people complain about each other. Thank you for the lesson Tyler, I will see you soon no doubt." He nodded to the Maester and messed up Rickon's hair, he kissed his mother's cheek before departing back into the castle.

"Lesson?" Catelyn queried.

"Lord Robb was of a mind to clear his head in the practise ring." Tyler said courteously.

"And you beat him no doubt." She said, it was not a question; which flattered Tyler.

"Rickon I fear you must join your brother for your lessons now. Please be patient with the Maester for me. I would join you but your mother and I have important business to attend to. Promise me you'll be good." Tyler said, kneeling in front of the boy and tidying up his hair.

He looked into Tyler's eyes with a frown but then he smiled. "I promise." He said quietly and followed Luwin into the castle.

"Follow me my lady." Tyler said simply after he donned his cloak once more.

They strolled back to the Guardsmen's Barracks and the soldiers fell silent as soon as they saw Lady Stark. They muttered polite greetings to her and she smiled sweetly and bid them all a good day.

When Tyler walked into the captain's office he found Jadyn flirting with one of the serving girls from the feed hall next door. When he saw Tyler he smiled and nodded his greeting, but when Catelyn appeared he told the girl to leave and rose swiftly.

"Lady Catelyn, this is my under-captain Jadyn Snow, a loyal northerner and a fearsome fighter." Tyler said officially, although it sounded somewhat ridiculous now that she had seen the girl.

"Jadyn, I wonder if you could possibly see fit to do my family a tremendous favour." She said politely.

Tyler had already told Jadyn what he was to be doing, but the formalities always had to be observed. "Anything for House Stark m'lady." Jadyn said, falling to one knee.

"You may rise Jadyn, I am no queen." Jadyn rose, red-faced. "I ask if you would escort a prisoner to my husband and your liege lord Eddard Stark in King's Landing. The prisoner is of the highest importance and his safety is paramount to anything else."

"My lady I would be honoured to carry out this task for you." Jadyn said, a smile crossed his face. _Aye, he knows the reward_. Tyler thought.

"You shall leave immediately; the lady and I will accompany you as far as the White Knife." Tyler said in his command voice. "Get what you need, say farewell to your loved ones and be ready to leave as soon as you can."

The trip was uneventful and when they reached the river Jadyn and his small force of guardsmen bid them farewell and promised the lady a safe journey. Tyler turned his horse as they disappeared from sight and Lady Stark followed suit. As they rode Tyler could see she was away with her thoughts and he was content to ride in silence.

"I find it hard to trust you Tyler." She admitted finally

"I can do nought to sway you but assure you that me and my family are not of one mind. I am my own person Lady Stark, and your family has been nothing but generous to me, I have no reason to betray any of you." He had expected her to say this. Catelyn was a Tully at heart and southerners were not so quick to trust as the northerners are.

"Your words are honourable and so far your actions have been. In time I am sure I will learn to trust you." She said, a smile crossed her face and even Tyler could tell it was not a fake one.

Tyler kept his eyes scanning the sides of the road for trouble but all that was around them was summer snows and swaying trees, the sound of the breeze as light as a whisper. "Robb was so much like Rickon was when he was younger. Robb may look like a Tully but he is Stark inside. Rickon is a Stark inside and out, but he is much more like his Uncle Brandon than his father."

Tyler had almost forgotten that she had been betrothed to Ned's older brother before he died. "I have heard tales of his bravery; we can only hope that Rickon can grow up to be such a man."

"I hope nothing of the sort. Brandon was strong and brave to be sure, but there is a point where bravery crosses into stupidity. He crossed that point far too many times and it cost him his life." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Rickon needs to focus on his lessons with the maester over his sword training right now. I must lessen the amount of times that you teach him each week." She said apologetically.

"Of course m'lady, I would do the same in your position. As long as Rickon can find time to do the exercise as much as he does already his sword training will not be affected." He said strongly.

"That is fair enough. I do not know if anyone has thanked you but know that we all appreciate your efforts with him. He looks up to you." She was about to speak but she fell silent.

Tyler softly said. "Consider me like a Kingsguard m'lady, I will protect your secrets."

She giggled and relaxed. "I was only going to say that it is most likely because of Rickon's love for you that I do not trust you." She admitted. "A mother is ever wary of her son's friends. And I fear that I cannot give Rickon the attention he requires. My husband makes ruling the North seem so easy, I assure you it is not."

"I understand m'lady, if you command it I will stay clear of the boy for a while; I give you my word." He said straight away although he hoped that she would not.

"That is not necessary Tyler, he needs you now. You are a good man." She added after a long pause.

They sighted the city not long after that and Lady Catelyn left him with a farewell and a kiss on the cheek when they reached his quarters. Tyler walked inside and Ghost lifted his head when the door opened. Tyler saw that the serving girl had already been by. His lunch was sitting on the table and Ghost was biting away at a large bone by the fire. Tyler downed his meal as quickly as he could and went to his chair by the fire. There were numerous letters sitting on the chair awaiting him but he grabbed at one that stood out and tore it open.

_The lion has begun gathering his pride._

The letter was unsigned but Tyler could guess it was the cup bearer that he had lost his virginity to. The girl had loved him and she was all too happy to do some spying for him. Tyler chuckled and left his room, making for the castle once again. When he came to court he saw that they had taken a small intermission, hundreds of people were waiting patiently in the hall as Tyler strolled through and went out the back door into the small room where Robb was chugging back a horn of ale.

He looked somewhat guilty when he saw Tyler standing there patiently. "It helps whenever I get the thought to kill them." He said, referring to the petitioners.

Tyler laughed and grabbed the mug off him, finishing the rest. "The Warden of the West is gathering his armies. He knows something is amiss and he knows it must be dealt with swiftly."

Robb smiled. "Finally! I wondered when he would take action; I had heard he was quicker to it than this."

"That must mean something then. He must know something that we don't." Tyler said carefully.

"What do you suggest captain?" Robb asked genuinely.

"I would suggest that you send a private word to your lords, inform them of the situation and warn them that the banners may soon be called." Tyler said. "It is important that all our next actions do not leave the North. If you have any lords whose loyalties you doubt now would be the time to say so."

"They would all cut off their own hands for my father. I just need to mention his name and every sword in the North is mine." Robb said proudly. "I must return to this flock of cunts." He said sourly. "We will talk more of this tonight."

The fire was slowly dying when Tyler came back home, Ghost was sitting on the table licking Tyler's plate clean but he jumped down and pressed his head into Tyler's armpit as he stoked up the fire. Tyler took off his cloak and draped it over the back of the chair by the fire and unbuckled his sword belt. He returned to his letters and flicked through them, a small raven message at the bottom caught his eye, it had the seal of Lord Tywin and his heart sank. Fear instantly crept into his heart and he carefully carried the letter as if it were made of glass to the table. He lit a candle in the fire and sat down at the table. He stared at the message, his heart fluttering and his thoughts racing from one to another. The words inside could say anything, but one thing was for sure, whatever it said would effect Tyler greatly. For a while he contemplated not opening it and throwing it in the fire. But curiousity, as it always does, got the better of him, he gently broke the wax seal and unravelled the message, it was addressed to him directly so Tyler knew that his father was aware of his new job. The words contained were short and to the point, but they made Tyler nearly choke on his tongue. He had never known fear like this.

_You have betrayed your kin and for that you will die screaming_.


	8. Tyler the Saviour

As soon as the Northern Gate opened Bran galloped ahead cheering and whooping, his hair whipped around as he sped up the road and Tyler saw Robb grin proudly. Theon spurred his horse ahead to catch up with the excited young boy while Robb and Tyler trotted behind. Rickon had his arms wrapped around Tyler's chest. The boy was still wary of riding after Tyler had tried teaching him and he fell off and bumped his head, so Rickon sat in front of Tyler in the saddle and Tyler trotted his horse casually so as not to frighten the boy. Tyler saw Theon follow Bran into a hunting trail that lead into the Wolfswood. _Jon would have loved to see the boy riding again_. Tyler thought suddenly. He was surprised at how much he missed his friend, they had not been together for all that long and yet still it felt like the absence of a twin brother. Robb turned down the hunting trail and Tyler followed suit. Tyler was still wary that Catelyn had ordered them not to take the wolves. She said that last time the hunters had complained that there was no food for miles when they had gone out to hunt.

Robb had been looking forward to this for some time. He was growing used to his responsibilities as Lord but it was a welcome break from the pressures and stresses at court for him. Tyler could not imagine having to deal with what he dealt with every day. "Why do you think your brother did this for him?" Robb asked suddenly gesturing to Bran riding ahead.

"Tyrion is not like the other Lannisters m'lord." Tyler said although he was not entirely sure it was true. "He has a mind to care for other people."

"I hope that's true." A silence fell among them as they saw Theon stop at a big log up ahead. "You know we will have to fight Lord Tywin eventually?"

"Aye m'lord." He almost whispered

"And that won't be an issue for you?" Robb asked with genuine concern.

"No m'lord." Tyler said, he was not eager for this subject. _I know what needs to be done, I just don't want to think about it yet._

"Ty?" Rickon whimpered.

"Yes Rick?"

"Do you want to see my cave that I found?" He asked

"As long as there are no monsters, if there are you shall have to protect me." Tyler said with feigned fear.

Rickon perked up then and smiled eagerly. "I can protect you!" He said excitedly.

When they reached Theon and Bran, Robb dismounted and hitched his horse next to Theons. Tyler followed suit and heaved the young boy from atop the horse and set him down. Tyler watched Bran ride around eagerly with a smile on his face. The boy was ecstatic, this was the most fun he'd had since the fall and he wasn't afraid to show it. Tyler looked to Robb but he was deep in conversation with Theon. Rickon tugged at Tyler's leggings and Tyler looked down at him.

"Come! It's this way." He said excitedly.

Tyler was not happy leaving Robb in the woods without him but he figured it was unlikely anyone would attack and if they did it was better that Rickon did not wander off alone. "Show me." Tyler said.

Rickon sprinted off ahead and Tyler ran at a pace to keep up with him. They jumped over tree roots and ducked under fallen branches, at one point the foliage was in such a thick wall that Tyler was forced to cut through it with his dagger. Eventually, after some time, Tyler and Rickon reached a small hole in the ground. Tyler chuckled, _there is no way for me to possibly fit in there_, he thought as Rickon wormed his way in.

"It's so dark. Wait here, I'll check if the coast is clear." Rickon said playfully.

Tyler heard his footsteps fade away, it was an interesting cave if he could run around inside. _Perhaps one day I'll dig the hole bigger and I can explore it also_. The thought was an empty one, he had always preferred climbing when he was younger, Casterly Rock was filled with cliffs and steep hills and Tyler had climbed near every single one. Assuming that Rickon would gone for some time Tyler sat down with his back to a tree trunk and pulled out an apple that was in the pouch at his side, it was soft and somewhat old. He had not eaten all day though so he quickly downed it and put his head back against the trunk and closed his eyes.

As soon as he did he heard the clash of battle, the sweet song of steel on steel. His eyes flared open and he tried to listen for where it came from. _It's the back the way we came_. He thought suddenly, _Robb!_ He sprung to his feet and was about to leave but he heard a soft rustle behind him. _Thank the gods, Rickon is here._ He turned, and his heart sank. A group of seven gruff, savage, dirty wildings stood there with makeshift weapons. One had a dagger carved from stone and two had clubs with nails hammered through, one of them carried a longsword and the rest had small axes, two of them hatchets and the other a one handed battle axe.

"No way boy, you've no chance." One of them said is a rasped voice.

"There is only one way to find out." Tyler said drawing his longsword. He reached for his dagger with his left hand but just as he did a hand wrenched it out and Tyler saw Rickon standing next to him with a scowl holding the dagger. It looked like a short sword in his grip.

The wildlings charged. Tyler kicked Rickon behind him and spun to his left, two of the wildings went flying past him but one almost hit him. Tyler managed to spin again and grab the man from behind by the hair and he thrusted his sword up through the man's lower back and it came out of his chest covered in thick red blood. He wrenched the sword clear and turned in time to find a wilding slam his spiked cudgel into Tyler's inner thigh. He grunted with pain as the man tried wrenching it clear but it was stuck. Tyler blocked an axe cut from his left as the other man let go of his cudgel and tried punching Tyler in the face. He swung his longsword wildly and the wildling's arm came off at the elbow and flew into the axe wielder beside him. Tyler quickly glanced at Rickon but only saw the two escaped wildings dragging him off into the trees. Tyler turned back and ducked under a swing from the man with the sword. Tyler punched the screaming armless man to the ground and sent a reverse back slash at the axe-wielder's throat. The last man tried grabbing him from behind as the one with the longsword swung it viciously. Tyler ducked and the longsword caught the other man in the side of the head and embedded itself. The wildling lost grip of it and backed away but tripped over a root. Tyler limped towards him, feeling the warm blood rushing down his leg. He laughed then suddenly, this was not the first time he had killed anyone but he had not done it a lot. This time was different somehow, he had been sure to die but now he lived. His laughter would not stop, he had never felt so alive, so lucky, so fulfilled. The man tried to rise but Tyler punched him back down with the pommel of his sword.

"Mercy ser, we was only starving, we only wanted to get away from the whi.." the wilding began begging. But Tyler soon put an end to it and he rammed his sword down full force through the savage's chest.

As soon as the feeling came it was gone. Tyler's eyes quickly surveyed the scene and all he saw was death and carnage. He was disgusted. _Rickon!_ He thought suddenly. He tried to sprint but the cudgel was still in his leg, pierced through his armour. He ripped it out and howled with pain. He tried to run as fast as he could but the wound was sharp and every step made him cringed and groan in pain. He was following the footprints in the ground and found his dagger with wet blood on it. He sheathed it and tried running again but his wound flared again and he only succeeded in toppling to the ground. He tried to rise but as he did he felt a hand grab the back of his leather armour and haul him up. Tyler turned and looked up to see Robb looking down at him with the sun above his head.

"They took him..."

"Shh! We'll get him back."

"There were too many Robb... They took him." Tyler had tears coming to his eyes. "I failed you, I failed him."

"The tracks are still fresh, let's bind this wound and we will go find him." Robb said as if it was a command.

"Aye sir." Tyler said, remembering himself. Robb sliced through the straps in Tyler's leather greaves and removed the ruined plate. He ripped open the leggings underneath. The wound was angry, there were five deep holes in his leg, they had opened wider when the attacker had tried removing it and blood was flowing out faster than it should have. Tyler was even beginning to feel light-headed. Robb ripped the bottom off of his cloak off with the dagger and he took out his skin of water. He wet the wound and wiped all the blood clean before ripping another piece and wrapping it as tight as it would go around his leg. It was bandage fit for a maester's skills but it served to keep Tyler conscious.

As they moved through the undergrowth Tyler still found himself needing to limp. The pain was not excruciating as it had been before but he could still feel it. "I heard fighting from your direction. Are they all okay?"

"They attacked Bran when he rode out of our sight. I found him in time but it was Theon who saved him." Robb said, he kept his eyes on the tracks and his feet moving forward as he swiftly told Tyler of the wildling woman they spared and Theon's arrow.

"These ones will find no such mercy." Tyler said darkly. Robb looked at him but looked away again swiftly.

When they heard the screams it was easy to find where to go. Tyler no longer cared about the pain he sprinted as fast as his legs would let him but when he came upon the pair of wildlings he only saw them struggling with Rickon. Rick was biting off one of the men's ears and Tyler saw Robb run through the undergrowth at a swift sprint and the other wilding held his dagger up to stab the boy but Robb pulled out his dagger and it twirled through the air and into the back of the man's neck. Then Rickon unsheathed the dagger of the man whose ear he had bitten off and he slammed it into the wildling's chest over and over again until Robb pulled him off. Rickon kicked and screamed and held until Robb turned him and held him close. He tried to struggle but he just cried and gripped Robb around the neck and Robb held him close and tight for what seemed like hours. Rickon was covered in blood when he approached Tyler who had sat up against a tree.

"I told you I would protect you." He said and he sat with his head on Tyler's chest.

When got back to the castle everything was pandemonium. When Catelyn saw what happened she had not gotten angry or sad. She simply ran to Rickon's side and took him for a bath. Tyler was happy when he saw that. _If ever the boy needed his mother, it's now_. Tyler sat now propped up on his bed. Maester Luwin and Theon sat inside his quarters with him. Maester Luwin was applying some herbal balm to his stitched cuts before he bandaged it up professionally.

"Now I fear I have some bad news for you captain." Luwin sad heavy heartedly.

"You're not taking it!" Tyler said suddenly. _I will not be a cripple_.

"No! no, nothing so serious. You're leg will never fully re-heal but I have managed to erase any chance of infection. One of the nerves in your leg was severed, not a particularly important one but I am afraid that you shall walk with a limp your entire life Tyler." Maester Luwin said sadly.

_That's not so bad, I have heard of much worse wounds than this_. "It is no matter; you cannot change fate Maester Luwin. I thank you for your help." He said politely.

The Maester smiled his kind smile. "I suppose I should prepare some dreamwine for the Lady Stark, else I fear she will never get any rest." He shuffled out of the room, the clink of his heavy maester's chain fading away slowly.

Theon smiled when he left. "You're a tough lad, I'll give you that." He chuckled. "Seven?"

"Only five, Robb and Rickon killed the other two." Tyler said humbly.

"Oh right. Only five, that's not so much." He said sarcastically. "Were they your first?"

"No." Tyler said. _Don't make me think about that_.

"Well come on then. Who was it?" _Damn you Theon._

"I have no desire to speak of it just now sorry Theon, maybe when we are drunk." He said smiling.

"I'll make sure to hold you to that. Do you need help walking? Robb wants a word." Theon said, standing up.

Tyler had needed help walking, the balm that Luwin gave him had begun to sting, as the maester had warned and he struggled to walk unsupported so Theon had draped his arm around his shoulder and carried most of his weight. Tyler made sure to thank him when Theon left him at the door to Robb's solar.

"A raven arrived whilst we were away." Robb said, his voice was sombre. "I know this is so soon after what we just went through but this is crucial. Shall I read it to you?" Robb said as if he really cared how Tyler felt about it.

"Of course m'lord, no skirmish should get in the way of the safety of House Stark."

"_Robb, The king is dead. A day before our witness arrived, King Robert Baratheon was stabbed repeatedly by a whore in his own chambers. The Queen says that the whore was paid by The Beggar King, Viserys Targaryen. The whore does not know the Common Tongue and she is from across the Narrow Sea. The Beggar King does not have the funds nor the knowledge to know of such an intricate plan. The Queen has done this, father and I are sure of that. The king's fat kept him alive long enough to name father the Protector of the Realm and Lord Regent. We announced Cersei's crimes not two days ago and she is being kept in the Tower of the Hand under strict guard. Joffrey has been kicking up some fuss but without his father and mother he is no more than a snivelling boy. The greatest threat is the Kingslayer. Should Cersei be allowed a trial by combat Jaime will champion for her no doubt. Father believes we can hold a trial for Jaime also. If the Kingslayer should fight in the trial we will need Tyler to fight him. He is the only choice we have should no one else wish to volunteer for the realm. Please persuade him to come to the capital but tell him father has said that he has the right to refuse without impunity._" Robb finished, he set the letter down and put on his lord's face and looked deep into Tyler's eyes.

"You need not get all lordly with me Robb, I will go." Tyler said, he had made his words sound strong but his heart was racing and his stomach was turning over and over.

"I thank you so much Tyler. You are the greatest friend this family could have."

Tyler remained silent as he sat there still as a rock, all he could think of was Jamie Lannister standing tall in his golden armour with his golden sword. The tales of the Kingslayer's abilities in battle were numerous and glorious. Tyler had only felt fear like this when he had received the message from his father.

"I pray I do not let you down m'lord." He said, limping out of the room.


	9. Tyler the Negotiator

As they spent more and more time alone together Tyler began to understand Catelyn Stark in an entirely different light. She had seemed so noble and so high born to Tyler that he had been unable to see underneath the mask. Now she was merely a woman, a mother capable of shame, grief, envy and cruelty as any other human being was. He did not let her see his change in views as they rode down the Kingsroad in a comfortable silence. Lyonel and Erik Mygos rode behind them; they were a pair of young Winterfell guardsmen who had earned Tyler's trust back in Winterfell. The Mygos' were an amiable pair but prone to constant bickering and battles of wit, which in better circumstances would serve to amuse Tyler but the tension of the situation had rendered him and Lady Stark to be short of patience.

The host had gathered. Not five days past the last of the Stark bannermen had arrived in Winterfell and Robb had called his first ever war council. Tyler had been with him as he had prepared. Robb had chosen to wear his lordly clothes that had a likeness to something Ned Stark would wear. Tyler had suggested that, it would serve to remind them that he was their lord in Ned's absence. The council had been as Tyler would have expected, the lords were wary of Robb and unsure of the limits. Greatjon Umber had even threatened to march his men home when Robb passed him over for leading the vanguard. But Grey Wind had dealt with that, Robb had threatened to hang him as an oath breaker and the Greatjon had moved to draw his dagger, before anyone could see Grey Wind had him on the ground and two of his fingers came off in the direwolves mouth. After that the council went much more in Robb's favour.

The host marched a day or two behind them. Tyler and Catelyn had only been forced to sleep in a camp once so far. Other than that various villages and inns had been honoured to house their liege lady. But now they rode ever closer to the Twins, the two towers of House Frey and Robb's first challenge. Catelyn had warned them before they left that they would make no progress without Lord Frey's consent to cross the bridge. So Robb had sent the two of them to treat with Walder Frey and gain his consent whatever the cost. Catelyn had told him the price and Tyler and everyone in the room had seen the brief struggle he had before he gave his word. _I must ensure that does not do us any harm_. He thought suddenly as he remembered the moment.

The Twins came into site by the time of noon and Tyler watched as a pair of men approached on horseback. They had the look of a Frey which came as no surprise to Tyler. _I would be surprised if we could find a single person in The Twins that was not somehow related to the dirty old bastard._ Catelyn managed to recognise both men which relieved Tyler.

"Good afternoon Walder, Walton, how do you do?" She asked, dipping her head slightly.

"All too well my lady, who are these companions of yours?" The younger of the two said bluntly.

"This is a friend to our house and the new co-captain of the Winterfell Guard, Captain Tyler Hill and these are two of his guardsmen Lyonel and Erik Mygos."

Tyler dipped his head politely. "A pleasure my lords."

"My lord." The twins said in near unison, also dipping their heads.

"_Remember, when we arrive we must show every courtesy possible, that is how you deal with the Freys." _Tyler thought, remembering Catelyn's advice to them that morning.

The two men seemed satisfied with the courtesies. "What brings you to The Twins my lady, apologies but we are not graced with your presence very often." One of the men said; a hint of sarcasm evident in his voice. _A feud with her father perhaps, or something more sinister_, Tyler thought, _either way we are on thin ice here_.

"A fear this is no social visit Walton. I have been sent ahead of my son Robb to ask for your grandfather's consent to allow him and his men to cross the Green Fork." She said formally.

"Lord Robb Stark also personally asked me to see to it that he can cross. I must also be allowed into the negotiations unless your lord will deem it offensive." Tyler said sternly.

"I can see no great problem with that, we will feed you guardsmen and tend to your horses. Please follow us." Walder said, turning his horse and trotting to the gates.

The inside of the Twins was nearly as dull as the outside, but with the added bonus of having hundreds of dull people walking around. There was no great glamour here, but there was plenty of work and plenty of hustle. The court however was at least mildly decorated, a piece of art here or there. Lord Walder sat in his chair as though he had been stuck to it since birth, he looked so old and frail that Tyler could not imagine him standing without his legs snapping in half like twigs. His wife stood beside him, and it made Tyler shudder. She looked to be a year or two younger than him and he felt sad for the girl. All around them sat women and men who had been sired by the old lord. Tyler did not know if all of them were but there were enough that resembled him to make it seem so.

"What's your son doing with an army then aye?" Lord Walder barked suddenly after a long series of thoughts.

"The trial of Queen Cersei has brought the attention of Tywin Lannister to King's Landing, my son rides to defend his father and defend justice." She said cleverly.

"Oh right, we did hear tell of some trial." He said, his raspy voice fading away. "And you are the one who saved the boy?" He said, looking at Tyler suddenly.

"Yes m'lord, I was guarding Bran when the assassin attacked." Tyler said.

"Hmm, well I could give a fig for what the Lannisters and the Starks want to do to each other. We have our own lives here." Walder said slyly.

"Might we speak more privately?" Catelyn asked.

Walder groaned. "Oh very well, Out! The lot of you!"

It took sometime for the multitudes of Walders and Waldas to clear the court but when they did Lord Walder Frey stood and Tyler almost flinched. But his legs did not snap, he shuffled slowly to where they stood and eyed Tyler up and down.

"Here at the Twins we must take wha..." Lord Walder Frey began slowly.

"Name your price my lord, Lord Robb is eager to cross the bridge and is glad to grant whatever request it is possible to do so. You will require some gold of course. I assure you Robb will make a generous donation." Tyler said in a strong low voice.

"Straight to the point eh... heh heh heh." He cackled in laughter. "Very well, as you can see I have more children and grandchildren than I do fingers and toes. If your lord would do me the honour of marrying one of my daughters I could see fit to grant his crossing."

"Could? What else do you require my lord." Catelyn asked politely.

"Your daughter, not the future queen, the she-wolf. I would like it if she could marry one of my grandsons. Also I have two grandsons that are eager to experience life away from the towers. Big Walder and Little Walder must be warded at Winterfell with your two youngest boys also. Grant me this and your son may cross with all his men. He can even have half of mine if he wants them." He added as an afterthought.

Tyler let the information lie for a few seconds, just as Catelyn was about to speak he pulled on the side of her dress and she quickly halted. Tyler took a deep breath. "Lord Walder I mean you no disrespect but your towers are not impregnable. You ask too much for something too little. Your greed and overextending could be seen as a slight to my lord. And in times such as these he will be on edge, he will not want another possible enemy. I assure you that with my help he can take your towers and your bridge without so much as a dent in his armour. Then he can march backwards and forwards and across your bridge as many times as he likes while your headless body is swept away in the current and the house you have worked so long to establish crumbles into nothing. Now we can walk that path if you wish to stick to your terms or you could perhaps decrease the price of your crossing and that whole ordeal can be left to imagination." Tyler said quietly and carefully his left hand moving behind his back and fingering the hilt of his dagger. He kept his gaze locked onto Walder Frey's beady eyes but in his peripheral vision he could see Lady Stark struggling to hold his intensity in her surprise.

Walder Frey was silent for some time, but his shoulders eventually sagged. "Very well, forget the marriage for your daughter." He said reluctantly.

"A wise decision my lord. I assure you that Robb will make up what you have lost in gold." Tyler said politely

A glint crossed into Frey's eyes and he smiled suddenly. "That would be a most welcome sight."

Erik and Lyonel were arguing about who would win in a duel between Loras Tyrell and Tyler when they found them and the four quickly departed the Twins before Lord Walder decided something stupid.

That night they camped along the banks of the Green Fork of the Trident. The Mygos' had gone out of their way, at Tyler's orders, to ensure that Lady Stark was comfortable. They each had a single blanket and slept on the cold hard ground not far from the fire, it was early morning when Tyler was woken by Erik for his watch. He used his watch to scrub clean their dishes and repack them for the morning; he also stored the remainder of the dinner. Lyonel had caught two hares and Erik had scoured for vegetables. Tyler cooked them a soldiers stew and Lady Catelyn had commented that it was the only camp food she remembered enjoying. When he was finished Tyler sat on a log by the fire. The fire crackled loudly but even over the noise Tyler could hear the strong current of the river behind him. Then he heard a faint muttering and a squeal, Tyler perked up, the sounds were not alarming, the squeal had come from an animal, a deer by the sounds of it and not an old one. Tyler followed the noise and his heart smiled when he saw Catelyn washing a wound in the side of a young faun. She was speaking gently to it, washing with one hand and gently stroking its hide with the other. The faun was wary but submissive to the kind woman as she ripped off a small piece of the bottom of her dress and stemmed the blood flow of the wound.

Tyler heard a stick crack beneath his boot and Lady Stark whirled around in the darkness, her eyes flicked to his hair and she recognised him. "I should be sleeping I know." She gestured to the faun. "I heard it crying, I think a wolf attacked its family, the wound is an old one so I think he has been running for some time."

"I understand my lady; I nursed a stray dog back to health in Lannisport when I was younger, his master used to beat him." Tyler told her, surprised at his words; he had not remembered that dog for a long time.

Catelyn helped the struggling faun to stand up and they gently lead it away and watched it stumble into the distance. "It will likely die out there." She said solemnly before she spun on her heel and began walking away.

When they got back to camp Lady Stark went into her tent and not wanting to intrude Tyler took his place at the fire once again. "Please come in Tyler, I fear I cannot sleep." Her voice said from within.

Unsure of himself he rose slowly and walked inside, bowing his head. "Enough with the blasted courtesies, we are alone and on the road." She said sounding slightly agitated.

"Sorry." He said simply.

"It is no matter. You were very harsh with Walder, he will not forget you now and either way that does not bode any good."

"He was simpler to handle than you suggested. He just needed attention, recognition, when we returned from the Wolfswood and you tended to Rickon did he not behave himself in all things afterwards?" He asked, knowing the answer full well.

"I suppose so." She said hesitantly.

"I do not mean to chastise you Catelyn, I only mean that Lord Walder is the same. He just needed a different sort of tending. Bannermen need to see a strong hand shown over them and I fear your father's sickness has made Old Frey more confident than he deserves. I simply showed him that there was more than one lord now, whoever is king next will no doubt thank your husband for his valiant service to the realm and offer rewards. These rewards can just as easily be pre-determined before they are given. We can ask that the neck and the crossing go under dominion of the North and then Frey will be put back down to where he belongs." Tyler said. _Every time I talk like this they look at me as if I am a stranger_.

"You are far cleverer than my son gives you credit for and especially for one of your years." Catelyn remarked.

"Thank you." He said awkwardly, an even more awkward silence followed and Tyler almost cursed himself as he simultaneously said, "It is not my place to ask I know but after so many years I find it hard to believe that your hatred for what Jon stands for is as strong as you make it out to be."

Catelyn was taken aback but his words had struck a nerve he could see. Then she folded. Tyler had some subconscious technique of making people feel as though they could tell him anything, his soft voice and genuine concern served to make people trust him and in his experience it was generally women who were more comfortable sharing their troubles with him. "Years ago, when Robb and Jon were no older than Bran is now, Jon was taken by a sickness. He shivered constantly and sweated profusely, Maester Luwin said the boy was lingering on death; he was unconscious and would mutter things here and there. He kept crying out 'Mother! Mother!' and I thought his father had told him of his birth mother. But then he said 'Mother! I love you like winter loves snow.'" Catelyn's voice cracked and a tear formed in one of her eyes. "It was a phrase that Robb was fond of saying to me. I learned that night that all Jon wanted was for me to accept and love him. I was so overcome with guilt and grief that I sat by his bedside night and day much like I did for Bran. I prayed to the Seven and the Old Gods that he should live. Days and weeks passed by and his condition had not improved. He had begun crying my name and his father's name. I prayed to the Old God's one night. 'Please, for the belief he has in you, for the faith my husband puts in you spare this child, let him live and I will love him. I will tell my husband to make him a Stark and be done with it, I will raise him and be a mother to him.' The gods saw fit to grant me my wish but when he woke I looked into his eyes and I could not do it, I could not forgive what he represented. My husband's betrayal brought back from the war and paraded before my eyes as if it was supposed to mean nothing to me."

Tyler sighed. "You love him." He said instead of asked.

"I do but now it is not anger that drives my stubborn hatred." She said between small sobs. "It's shame, shame that I could not keep my promise."

Tyler smiled then. "My lady it is never too late. Jon needs to feel he belongs in the family now more than ever. It only takes a simple conversation, a simple admittance of your mistake and the past is the past. Jon is not one to hold a grudge and I believe he would never do anything to hurt you."

Catelyn fell into silence and she stared off into nothingness, her thoughts taking her attention captive. She realised he was still there and she wiped her eyes and smiled. "I know that I shall definitely think on all you have said Tyler, I believe I will rest now, you had best return to the watch."

They parted ways at the Inn at the Crossroads. Lyonel hired a few sellswords and led Lady Catelyn eastward toward The Eyrie and her sister. Tyler and Erik continued alone, heading west. As they rode along the road now Erik was whistling 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair' and Tyler was trying to come up with bawdy lyrics to replace the words in the actual song. Sometimes they would swap, Erik was much better at coming up with the words so Tyler was content to whistle and laugh along. It went much this way for the entire journey. The amount of people they saw grew more and more as they approached Riverrun. To Tyler it seemed as though there were hordes of people running away from something that has yet to happen. _War._

Among the crowd of commoners a craggy-faced old man wearing all black rode out of it atop a strong looking grey horse. He had a bow slung around his back and a quiver of arrows hanging from his hip. Even Tyler had heard of Brynden Blackfish. "You must be Tyler, my niece sent a raven explaining the situation. I am Brynden Tully."

"Tyler Hill m'lord." Tyler said formally.

"Nothing I hate worse than being called m'lord or my lord or even just lord. Try remember that in future." He smiled and spun his horse around, Tyler cantered up alongside him while Erik hung back.

"All these people... What are they running from?" Tyler asked straight away.

"The Mountain, he's been torching our villages and everyone is scared that Tywin Lannister will take Riverrun." Blackfish said casually.

"You don't scare that easy do you?" Tyler asked with a grin.

"Not from a pompous rich bastard like Lord Lion." He said with a scowl.

"I would not be so hasty to dismiss Lord Tywin; he is a cunning and cruel man. A mixture that works very well in war I assure you." Tyler said confidently.

"Pardon me Captain Tyler but you look as if you've never ever seen a war. I would not be so hasty to assume you know how it works." Brynden said with a chuckle.

Tyler fell silent. _He's right, I've never fought in a war. I'm becoming cockier in my cleverness, best set myself straight._ The rest of the ride to the city was uneventful, but when they came to the gates Tyler felt a sense of familiarity, like he had been here before. But he could not recall every spending time in Riverrun, he had seen it from the road once but when they rode slowly through the streets Tyler began to see things that he was sure he had seen before. The thoughts began to freak him out so he pushed them from his mind. _Riverrun must join our cause_. Catelyn had been sure they would but she was unsure of her sister so she had opted to go there herself.

A stable boy took their horses when they reached the castle through and Tyler gave Erik leave to explore the city. Brynden lead him through the castle to the lord's solar. When they went inside Hoster Tully was being tended by a maester at his chair and a young man that could only be Ser Edmure Tully was staring out over the view of the river with his back to them.

Hoster waved the maester when he saw his brother and Tyler in the doorway. He began coughing furiously but he tried to hold it back as he spoke. "Welcome to Riverrun boy."

"It is an honour to be hear Lord Hoster I assure you. And it is an honour to meet you in person." Tyler said bowing deeply.

"Not a pretty sight am I?" He asked rhetorically as he coughed violently once again.

"Take it easy father. You do not need to strain yourself with this." Edmure said turning around and laying a hand on his father's shoulder.

"My niece has sent you to ask for aid?" Brynden asked as Hoster relented to his son's wishes.

"Queen Cersei has been arrested and will be on trial for her life. Lord Eddard Stark is trying to control the Seven Kingdoms but we have received word that Lord Tywin is gathering his armies and means to defend his daughter's honour. Robb Stark is coming south with his bannermen and soon the Freys will join their swords to his. Lord Stark means to ask all the high lords to defend the realm from the Lannisters." Tyler stated.

"No doubt some will wish to support Lord Tywin and his gold." Edmure said scathingly.

"We are in control of the Kingdoms; if they wish to see justice done to them also they are welcome to join him. We ask that you join your forces to the fight in the name of justice to the realm and in honour of the marriage that binds your houses." Tyler said falling to one knee.

"Rise boy, you had our swords the minute that the assassin entered my grandson's room." Lord Hoster said as he coughed once more.

Tyler smiled and moved to the desk and grabbed the lords hand. "Neither Robb or Ned will forget this and the king that we crown will be just as grateful I assure you."

"Cersei's child? I highly doubt that." Brynden said with a snort of disbelief.

"That subject will be best discussed when your niece gets here." Tyler said simply.

"I am going to take Tyler to his quarters now brother." Brynden said politely.

"Do what you must." Hoster said, shooting a glance at his brother. "Enjoy your stay boy."

"Thank you m'lord, I am grateful for your hospitality, we will talk soon no doubt." Tyler left the room with Brynden as quickly as they had come in, he was confused but he figured that the Blackfish was the one to talk to about Riverrun, he was clearly the one who held it together through his brother's sickness.

Brynden lead him to a lavish but small room with a double bed and little else. "This is where you will sleep." He said quickly, Tyler turned to face him. "We have plenty of men but it is us who stands to lose the most in this war. We are practically neighbours with the lions, they have already begun raiding some villages simply because my niece married Lord Stark, when they find out we have joined your cause they will be all the more angry. A siege at Riverrun will be a sure thing I guarantee it."

Tyler laughed, _why do we bother with formalities? These are the conversations that matter. _"I understand Blackfish, you want to keep near half of your forces in the city to prevent this." And then it struck him, he was amazed it had come so quickly. "I think that I have a plan." He said sounding half dazed in his confusion.

"A plan? For the war?" Brynden asked.

"We will speak of it when our army is fully gathered. We can use your siege to our advantage." Tyler laughed again, loud and long


	10. Tyler in King's Landing

_The Gate of the Gods_, Tyler read the inscription as he waited beneath the big wooden gate that was swirled with gold and silver patterns and reinforced with iron and steel. He had never seen King's Landing but so far he was impressed, perhaps not as easily defendable as Casterly Rock or Harrenhal but an awesome structure none the less. Erik and Lyonel were bickering once again behind him about who had the sharpest dagger.

"If you carry on like that neither of you will use your daggers again." Tyler said jokingly. "What is taking so fucking long?" He asked in annoyance.

They had waited for coming on a half an hour since the gate guard had gone to fetch someone from the Red Keep. "Maybe he stopped at a tavern or a whorehouse or some such." Erik said licking his lips. "I know how he feels."

"What? The whores at Riverrun weren't enough?" Tyler asked with a grin.

"Exactly." Lyonel laughed. "He already spent his wages on toothless bitches at Riverrun, a months wages wouldn't buy him five minutes here."

"Lucky he only needs three." Tyler said grinning back at Erik.

"Well it was enough to make your mother scream so I'm happy." Erik countered.

"He doesn't know who his mother was you fucking idiot." Lyonel said scathingly.

"It's quite alright Lyonel, I'm sure the woman he thought was my mother was just one of the dogs in Farlen's kennels at Winterfell." Tyler said, trying to hide the hurt about his mother.

Lyonel howled with laughter as Erik struggled for a retort. The sound of the gate beginning to open saved him and Tyler wiped the grin off of his face and waited atop the big black stallion that Hoster had given him at Riverrun. Tyler had left the night that Lady Catelyn had arrived back from the Eyrie. It had taken her a week to get her sister to send some men when the time came and Tyler had taken in the sights of Riverrun. He had followed the things he saw that seemed familiar, certain alleyways and buildings had stood out and Tyler searched damn near every one but he could find no reason for the familiarity.

The gate swung open slowly and Tyler saw two Kingsguard ride ahead of roughly fifteen or so gold cloaks. He recognised both of the men, one from fame and one from fear. Barristan Selmy was the most famous living knight in Westeros just topping the man riding next to him. Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, was riding beside him dutifully but even Tyler could sense that this duty had gnawed at him.

"Lord Stark has commanded me to escort you to the Tower of the Hand Captain Tyler, if you would please follow us." Barristan said as soon as he was in earshot.

"A very dark and impressive horse." Jaime commented swiftly. "I take it you have no garb to go with it."

"A man can wear black and not be part of the Night's Watch." Tyler said, riding past his brother and not meeting his eyes. He heard Jaime turn his horse and saw him as he cantered up alongside him.

"Father is furious." He whispered. "You know what that means better than most I'm sure... But not better than me."

"You might be surprised Ser." Tyler said. _No, this is not a conversation I want to have._

"No doubt I would be." Jaime snorted. "If this trial goes the way your lord hopes it will, you will effectively be a kinslayer."

"Not even kin can forgive your sister's crimes, and yours too I am sure. No doubt she wouldn't have the stomach to push a boy from a window."

Jaime was taken aback. "You do not know her like I do."

"Yes I know that brother, and soon all of Westeros will too." Tyler said not meeting the Kingslayer's eyes.

"YOU WILL BE SOR..." Jaime began shouting.

"Ser Jaime! Another outburst and I shall have to let Lord Stark imprison you." Selmy said from up ahead without turning around.

Jaime scowled at him before riding ahead and trotting beside the Lord Commander. "Yes, which begs the question why he isn't wrapped in a thousand chains already." Tyler said loudly.

"Lord Stark gave me leave to use him as I wish until I could find a new Kingsguard. He is my hostage." Selmy said, turning his head to speak.

Tyler chuckled as they rode up Aegons High Hill to the Red Keep. Tyler saw a man surrounded by a crowd standing atop a barrel preaching about the Lannisters and the queen. Tyler was impressed that Lord Stark had managed to turn the rat's nest that the capital was known for into a city of justice and honour. Eddard was a good man and a strong leader but he was unsuited to the game of thrones that Tywin had always been a master player of. He had to have had some assistance from someone in the city that was loyal to justice.

Tyler nearly choked when he saw the Red Keep and the Tower of the Hand. There was so much beauty and grace in the structures but he had the feeling that it was all for show, a mask to hide the ugliness of the Kingdoms inner workings. He pushed the beauty from his mind as he saw more gold cloaks approaching from in front of the Tower. He looked back and saw Erik and Lyonel both wave and saw the leading gold cloak wave back and smile. He was a hard looking man with a scar on his face and long hair.

"Thanks Lord Commander, we can take it from here. Lord Stark requests that you take Jaime to the room that holds Cersei's children; strip his weapons and take these men to guard them." The commander of the gold cloaks said gesturing for ten of his men to follow the old knight.

Barristan nodded simply and turned his horse. Jaime was about to protest but Selmy warned him once again and he followed like a good loyal dog. "You're Tyler?"

"Aye." He said to the commander. "Tyler Hill. You're Jory?"

"Aye, my boys tell me that their friends in Winterfell say you're a good captain. Jon can't stop talking about you either." Jory said with a chuckle as Tyler dismounted and followed him into the Tower.

Tyler was overjoyed to hear that but tried not to show it, his limp troubled him as he attempted to climb the stairs and Jory gave him a curious look. "Wounded by wildlings in the Wolfswood." He explained quickly. "I'll have this limp for life Luwin says."

"Of course, you're the one who protected young Rick. Lord Stark was ever so grateful when the raven arrived." His face suddenly went dark. "There have been too many wildlings south of the Wall of late. That's something we will have to look into when we return north."

"You don't desire to hold your post?"

"Gods no! This place is evil and dangerous as soon as there is a new king we will all go home." He said, a smile creeping slowly across his hard features.

His leg was on fire when he reached the top of the stairs and he had to lean against the wall while Jory waited patiently before he lead them into Lord Stark's sitting room. Eddard Stark was facing out towards the city standing at the entrance to the outside balcony. A bald, heavy set man was sitting with his back to Jory and Tyler wearing long flowing green robes with flowers embroidered into the cloth. Lord Stark turned his head slowly when he heard the door open. He held up a hand to the man with him and he stopped reading from the parchment in front of him.

"Tyler!" Ned said as he nearly rushed forward and grabbed his shoulder pulling him into a hug.

Tyler was shocked and stunned. Tywin had never hugged him or any of his children if you believed the stories. But in Lord Stark's strong and loving embrace Tyler felt something so unfamiliar to him he nearly pushed the Lord Regent off of him. "Lord Stark, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"Lord Varys, this is my son's friend and new captain of the Winterfell guard Tyler Hill." Ned said, staring at Tyler all the while.

"I have heard much and more of you captain, it is a pleasure to put a face to a name, and such a familiar face at that."

Tyler scowled and was about to ask what he was implying when Lord Stark stopped him. "Varys is my trusted councillor Tyler I assure you he is nothing but an ally."

Tyler breathed deeply and smiled. "I am sorry Lord Varys excuse my anger, it has been a long journey." He lied.

"Oh it is quite acceptable. I am sure you two have much to discuss. Lord Stark." He said formally, dipping his head. "I am sure we can continue this another time."

"Leave the letter; I will look it over before we meet again." Ned said strongly.

"As you command my lord." Varys said before gliding out of the room on light feet.

"Jory, could please go and make sure that Arya is not trying to chastise the prisoners again? we cannot have another incident." Ned asked him strongly.

"Aye m'lord." Jory nodded before marching out of the room swiftly.

"Please sit." Ned gestured as he sat down at the leather chair behind his desk. Tyler took the seat that Varys had occupied and pushed it sideways stretching his leg out. "I must ask you, how is my wife?" Ned said with a concerned look on his face.

"Lady Stark is in Riverrun safe and sound looking after her father. Lord Hoster is getting rather worse in his sickness I fear." Tyler said stiffly.

"The poor man first Jon, now Hoster..." He said, his voice nearly trailing away. "That letter in front of you is from Stannis Baratheon, he backs up the knowledge that Jon gained when he investigated Lord Arryn's death. Stannis was with Jon when he went looking for Robert's bastard children a few weeks before he died. Stannis claims that they learned that Joffrey was not Robert's son nor were the other two, because all of Robert's bastards by mothers of all different hair and eye colours had a likeness with him. Whereas Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella have a likeness with Jaime Lannister, Stannis is willing to testify that Joffrey is a product of incest between the queen and her twin brother and that makes him the true and rightful king of Westeros, he is travelling to the capital for the trial."

Tyler was not surprised, he had already suspected this beforehand, him and Catelyn had suggested it to each other on the road. "Where is Jon? I will see what I can do to ensure the trial."

"You need not do anything just now Tyler, Jon is questioning Cersei's handmaidens and her usual companions tonight, you will be dining with me and relaxing, we have quarters for you in the Tower, Jon will see you tomorrow no doubt. You will be needed in court however." Ned said warmly.

"In court? But people will guess who I am."

"It is the only place to do what I intend. Trust me Tyler, I have not forgotten what you did for my son in the Wolfswood and I never will." He said rising, he called in a guard. "Show Tyler to the room we prepared for him and tell Sansa and Arya to come for afternoon tea." The man saluted and beckoned Tyler.

"Thank you m'lord." Tyler said, dipping his head to Ned before following the guard into the corridor.

They went down the stairs and across the courtyard with an open roof, they came to a door that led to a lobby of a set of guest rooms. The guard led Tyler upstairs to second floor where the entire space of the floor was once room; it was so large that the furniture on the far side of the room looked as big as Tyler's finger. Tyler smiled when he saw Jon's belongings by one of the beds in the room and Tyler thanked the guard slipping him a silver stag and taking his belongings to the other master bed. He pulled off his boots and lay down; his back was aching and his eyes closed by themselves.

He awoke with a shake and he looked up with groggy vision to see a young girl standing over him giggling. "Father says you are going to miss morning tea." She said teasingly.

Tyler sat up and shook his head. "Thank you. You'd be Arya?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes. You saved Rick?" She said bluntly.

"I did my best, your brother Robb did as well." Tyler said humbly.

"Come along Tyler, Fathers waiting." Arya said grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the room. When they reached the dining room she turned and laughed. "Kneel." She commanded.

Tyler chuckled and went to one knee, Arya began flicking her hands through his hair and smoothing it down. Tyler laughed louder ands she giggled again. She wrenched the door open and lead him through before letting go and taking a seat next to Ned. "I apologise m'lord, it was a rough ride."

"Please don't m'lord me when we are with family Tyler, it's the one rest I get." He said smiling.

"Aye, fair enough." He said as he took a seat, he turned to his right and nearly choked, he had not noticed Sansa when he came in but when he had just seen her had been awe struck, her hair was slightly wavy instead of straight how he had seen it in Winterfell and she had grown a lot since then also. She wore a sky blue dress with streaks of white and Tyler had to force his eyes away from her before she became suspicious.

"I don't believe we have met." He heard a sweet voice say. _Oh no, this is not good_. He thought to himself.

He nearly choked on his words as he attempted to get them out. "No I don't think we have, my name is Tyler Hill, I am a friend of your brother and a Captain of the Winterfell guards."

"_You _are the one who fought the wildlings and saved my little brother?" She said, sounding half amazed.

"He said Robb protected him too." Arya said interjecting.

"Aye, he was stronger than me, he saved Bran also." Tyler said with his head down.

"Either way you are a saviour of our family." Sansa said sweetly.

Tyler smiled but his mind was blank as to any reply he might make. He tried his best to finish his meal quickly and he stood as soon as he was finished. "I thank you for the meal but I fear I need to return to my rest."

"I understand Tyler." Ned said simply.

Tyler limped out of the room as swiftly as his leg would allow and began for the short walk back to his room. He got up the stairs and near stumbled to his bed. He removed his cloak and sword belt before pulling off his jerkin and riding boots. He had just pulled off his tunic and thrown it to the floor when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind him. He turned, bare-chested to see Sansa approaching him holding a mug.

Tyler tried to avoid going red with embarrassment as he saw Sansa staring at his torso while she struggled to form a sentence. "I brought... I brought you some wine. It will help you sleep." She said before she spun on her heel and rushed down the stairs.

"In the name of Lord Regent Eddard Stark, Warden of the North, Protector of the Realm and Hand of the King we ask the following man to step forward; Captain Tyler Hill of the Winterfell Guard." The herald screeched out.

Tyler stepped out from the back row and walked down the aisle between all the nobles and soldiers and councillors. He took a knee when he reached the steps before the iron throne. "At your service Lord Stark, ask and you shall receive."

"Today is not for me to ask but to give. Even in you're young years you have proved with every action you have made that you are a man of strength, skill, bravery, justice and loyalty. You saved my son Bran when he fell from the tower and again when the Lannisters sent an assassin to kill him. You extracted the confession from the assassin without torture. You saved my son Rickon from wildlings in the Wolfswood and you have decreased all crime in Winterfell by half." Lord Eddard said as the people in the hall murmured more and more. Eddard stood from the Iron Throne and descended the steps slowly as he spoke "For your actions and your proof of worth I, as Lord Regent, name you a Knight of the North." Ned drew Ice from its massive sheath and placed the tip on one of Tyler's shoulders gently and placed it on the other before reversing it and resting the point on the stone. "I, Eddard Stark, advance you Captain Tyler Hill to Ser Tyler Snowblade, a valiant knight in service to House Stark and the bearer of a proud name to last from this day until the end of time. Rise Ser Tyler." He said as he sheathed his sword and clasped him on the shoulder. The throne room erupted with applause from people Tyler had never even met and he smiled and waved all the same. He looked back up to Lord Eddard and smiled warmly.

When he left the throne room a sudden thought occurred to him and took his path to the Tower of the Hand. But as he ascended the thousands of stairs he reached a hallway halfway up and followed it to the end, turning right and descending a small flight of stairs. The prisons in the tower were neither dark nor dirty. In fact they looked rather luxurious and as Tyler found the cell that found the queen he found her surrounded by things to occupy herself. Tyler dismissed the Kingsguard who stood still and vigilant outside the cell and opened the door. Queen Cersei Lannister looked up a look of hope flashed across her face, but it soon turned back into a mask and then she look curious and confused.

"Queen Cersei, I am Ser Tyler Snowblade a knight in service to Lord Eddard Stark. It is good to finally meet you." He said as he leaned against the left wall near the bars.

"And what do you want?" She said staring at him, her face a mixture of emotions.

"Just to meet you my Queen, I have heard much about you and I wished to know first hand." Tyler said locking his eyes with hers.

She widened her eyes. "You are some bastard relative of mine but don't you dare tell me tha..."

"It is the truth!" Tyler interrupted. "Whether you wish to accept it or not. Lord Tywin loved your mother but he was still a man."

She giggled suddenly. "You like so like Jaime, but you've got a harder face and a colder heart, you put me in these chains and you knew I was your kin, if I lose my head in this trial you are as good as a kinslayer. But never fear you will not have to worry long because Jaime will fight you, and you will die, like the little boy you are."

"You are lovers?" He asked quietly.

She glared up at him and remained silent.

"I see." Tyler said, sighing.


	11. Tyler Sees his Father

He had found Jadyn not half an hour after he had left Lord Stark. Jadyn had been spending his reward for bringing the prisoner on a new sword and shield. Tyler had asked him if he was ready to return home as he intended to make him acting captain while Jon and Tyler remained in the capital to assist Ned. Now, the next morning, he watched as the Gate of the Gods was pushed open by gold cloaks and Jadyn mounted his brown mare. Erik, Lyonel and seven other Winterfell guards were going with him.

"Don't die on the way home." Tyler told him sternly but with a joking smile.

"As you say ser." Jadyn said.

"Make sure no harm comes to Brandon or Rickon and if anyone breaks more of Ralf's furniture; give them a raise." He said.

Jadyn chuckled and spurred his horse forward followed by the rest of the men. "See you again soon ser."

Tyler watched them ride down the rode for some time. That was before he saw three men that he recognised riding towards the gate. The three sellswords who had been hired by Lyonel and left in Catelyn's service at Riverrun were splattered with blood and one of them looked ready to topple out of his horse. "Hold that gate!" He commanded and the gold cloaks stopped suddenly and looked confused until the three riders came inside the walls. It was at that moment that the wounded sellsword chose to fall from his horse and crash into the stones beneath him. A gold cloak rushed forward with Tyler and he called for someone to fetch a healer. The man had the look of death about him and the stink backed it up.

"Fuck the healer." He said, his words wheezing out of him painfully. "Bronn, make some good use of that dagger will you."

"The healer may be able to save you." The gold cloak complained, shocked at the man.

"You smell that? That's the smell of death. You miss with that dagger Bronn and I'll take you with me." He said as the lead sellsword knelt beside him and drew his dagger from his back.

The sellsword named Bronn shouldered the gold cloak aside with a chuckle. "Don't want to get any blood on your pretty cloak now do we?"

The dying man chuckled before Bronn drove the dagger through his chest effortlessly. The man died with a smile on his face and Bronn wiped his dagger clean on the corpses clothes. "Someone should get rid of this body before we're left with the stink of his shit." Bronn said, sheathing his dagger and clapping a hand on Tyler's shoulder. He began walking up the hill towards the city as the other sellsword paid a boy to stable and tend their horses. Tyler limped to catch up with Bronn and the sellsword looked at him and grinned.

"Did something happen on the road?" Tyler asked curiously.

"Group of kids playing at being bandits, younger than you even. We thought they was beggars, then one of them buried a knife in Dylon's ribs." Bronn said with a chuckle.

"And you killed them?" Tyler asked warily.

"It was either that or end up bleeding out in the grass. Not a good way to go getting killed by children, lucky they didn't have the skill to face someone who actually knew what he was doing." Bronn said.

_Killing children doesn't even budge his conscience. This man could be useful._ "Why did you leave Riverrun? I was lead to believe that Lady Catelyn had you in her service."

"Aye she did, then she sent me here to find you. She figured I'd be better use here where it's dangerous rather than there where I could've spent my well earned pay on whores and wine." Bronn said with a hint of annoyance.

"If I understand correctly you are saying you are in my service now." Tyler said

"Aye, and if I understand correctly you just got made a knight, so don't assume that I'm anything that resembles a squire. Understood?" Bronn said strongly.

"Absolutely, all I need you to do is follow what I say, take the coins I give you and buy me a drink after every battle." Tyler said with a wink.

"We may be in business for a very long time." He said chuckling.

They had put some distance between the gate and themselves but at that moment the deep boom of the war horn sounded and Tyler spun around in panic. "I may need that drink sooner than I thought. Come with me." He said as he power-limped back the way they came. Bronn and the other sellsword followed closely behind and politely kept to his pace. Tyler's leg was aching by the time they got back and he swiftly flew into the tower and rushed up the stairs. When he got to the top of the wall he saw a sea of red, banners raised high on enormous poles, red steel armour glittering in the bright sunlight and banners bearing the red and gold of House Lannister and a thousand lions streaming above the mess of soldiers that he saw. He counted the host to be roughly seventy or eighty thousand men. There was no mistaking Lord Tywin Lannister, Tyler could almost make out his scowl beneath his white hair, his brilliant red and gold armour was both glorious and terrifying to Tyler. The sight of all these men made his stomach turn. _We need to kill all these men before the realm will be safe and at peace._

"Bronn." He called his voice nearly a shriek.

"Right here." He said stepping forward with his hand on his sword hilt.

"Go to Lord Stark in the Tower of the Hand, tell him the Warden of the West has arrived with an eighty thousand strong army and then return here." Tyler said. Bronn ran off down the stairs and Tyler looked at the other sellsword. "And you, what is your name?"

"Mykal." He said quietly.

"I need you to go to the Tower of the Hand also and stay close to the queen's cell in case Lord Tywin attacks us. If battle comes I want you to bring her to the wall by force if you have to and hold a knife to her throat. Ask one of the gold cloaks at the tower where her cell is, they will help if you use my name." Tyler said, watching the man sprint off and turning to see Lord Tywin with the other leaders of the army riding forward slowly on their own towards the gates. _A simple show of strength, of course he means to parley, he knows his daughter is in danger._ Tyler was not wearing clothes suitable to receive a high lord but he climbed down the tower to the ground all the same. He heard Lord Tywin call out from the other side.

"I am Tywin, son of Tytos of House Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. I am here to seek audience with Lord Regent Eddard of House Stark to discuss the trial he is to hold for my daughter Cersei, the Queen." Tywin called formally.

_Not the former queen father? Surely you are not so blind._ "Open the gates." He said, that sudden fear crawling back into his stomach. _For that you will die screaming_.

The gates seemed to open slower this time, but when they did and Tywin stood there with a small group of men and they began to trot forward Tyler almost stumbled at the sight of his father. Tywin's cold eyes dug into him, his face was an emotionless mask but Tyler could almost here the hatred and the threats that swum around in his father's mind. Lord Tywin was about to speak with him when he heard Jory Cassel's voice cut in.

"Lord Stark commands that only Lord Tywin and Ser Kevan may enter the city. The rest of you ride back to your men." He said in a strong voice. Tywin nodded to them and they all rode off. Tyler knew his Uncle Kevan and his Uncle Kevan knew him. He was the only other at Casterly Rock that had know who Tyler was. Kevan had tried to be the loving father while Tywin had been the strong one. But Tyler had never felt all that close to Kevan, the man was drawn back from him, he had no respect for bastards; least of all his brother's bastard. To him Tyler was a stain on the family, a stain to be removed, Tyler wouldn't be surprised if it was Kevan who had told him to send Tyler to the Wall.

Tyler turned from his father's deathly gaze and saw a loving one behind him. He had not even seen Jon Snow arrive with Jory and Barristan Selmy but now he did and Jon frowned at him, the look said it all. _You should not be here, your father will cloud your judgement._ And he was right, but he was already here and if he scampered off he would be nothing but a craven.

Jory rode ahead of the two lions and Selmy rode behind. Jon and Tyler walked ahead of Jory each with a hand on their sword, they whispered that they would catch up later and tried to keep straight faces as the entire city came to look upon Lord Tywin and his brother. Some threw insults and japes, they yelled that his seed was poisoned, that all his children were monsters and Tyler tried to hold back a grin. The whole ride went in silence and Tyler found that his mind was so focused on his father that his limp was not even aching. When they reached the Red Keep, Sandor Clegane, the Hound, was waiting outside the doors with two other soldiers.

"Sandor." Tywin said grudgingly. "You swore to protect my grandson until his death; your oaths are clearly as meaningful to you as your face." He said harshly.

The Hound remained silent as he opened the doors and revealed the court inside. The court was full to bursting and Tyler had to yell for the subjects to clear an aisle. Tyler walked forward and saw Lord Eddard Stark seated on the Iron Throne is his lord's garb of dark brown and the grey of a Stark. Beside him on a simple chair sat Lord Varys and to his left stood Grand Maester Pycelle, his long white beard flowing to his waist as he stood hunched over leaning on a short walking stick. At the foot of the steps stood all the Kingsguard minus two, Jaime being still under guard and Ser Meryn Trant standing guard outside Cersei's cell. Ser Barristan joined them and stood in the middle with his hand wrapped around his sword hilt, to his left stood Ser Mandon Moore and Ser Arys Oakheart and to his right stood Ser Boros Blount and Ser Preston Greenfield. Littlefinger was looking upon Lord Varys scathingly from the crowd and Tyler made a mental note to look into the master of coin and his operations. They came just before the line of Kingsguard and a silence descended in the throne room. Tywin stared up at Eddard Stark and Kevan looked around at everyone in the hall. Tyler and Jon moved to the side of the hall and stood between the crowd and the Kingsguard.

"You have approached the city with an army, you have frightened the people. Say what you have to say and be gone. This city has no love for you." Eddard said harshly.

"Lord Stark, the people may not see it yet but the lies you are feeding them are born out of greed and a lust for power, there you sit upon the Iron Throne where my grandson and the late King Robert's son is meant to sit as my daughter rules in his name. I ask you one time, release my daughter and put my grandson on the throne where he belongs and we will save the kingdoms much bloodshed." Tywin said quietly and coldly.

"Your daughter is accused of attempted murder of a high lord's child, _my child_, for which we have a first hand witness. She is also accused of adultery and betraying the vows she took at marriage, incest, and paying to have our good King Robert and my friend murdered. A trial will determine the release of your daughter not I." Ned said, he shot a glance at Tyler.

_He wants me up there_. Tyler thought, confused suddenly. He went around the pillar beside him and approached Eddard from behind. He leaned forward and Ned leaned to whisper in his ear. "Go and tell Jon to escort Lord Tywin back to the walls when I say and make sure he tells him that if he attacks the city Cersei and Jaime will suffer the punishment."

Tyler walked down and relayed the message to Jon, once Tywin figured out it had nothing to do with him he continued. "Then I ask if you can find it in your heart to at least return my son to me. You need not hold them both." He said, a touch of desperation even creeping into his voice.

"You have not heard? Your son is on trial also." Tywin was about to yell but Kevan grabbed his arm swiftly, still looking around. "Ser Jaime Lannister is on trial for betraying his oath and murdering the Mad King, for incest, and for cuckolding our good King Robert, may he rest in peace." Eddard said solemnly.

A silence descended on the hall, it was as if simultaneously everyone in the hall had been cowed with fear before Tywin had even begun to speak. "You will pay for this Lord Stark, your wife, your son, your wife's family. All of the north will bleed because of you. A Lannister always pays his debts."

"My lord, seize him." Tyler heard Varys say softly as Tywin spun on his heel and walked out of the hall, Jon following close behind as Kevan struggled to keep up.

Eddard remained quiet and still as Lord Tywin left the throne room and he looked at Tyler. Tyler hid a smile but nodded at Ned who grinned back at him. _A very wise choice. _Tyler thought admirably.

Later that night Tyler was sitting with Jon, Jory, Bronn and Mykal. Bronn had found himself and Jory a couple of whores but the rest had not been interested. They drank profusely and Jon was telling Tyler all about the tournament of the Hand.

"Under my false name I was fighting in the sword tourney and I lasted longer than anyone expected, Sansa came and watched the whole time, she cheered her loudest for me and Arya was the same. There were six of us left before I went down; I crossed swords with Thoros of Myr. Not easy fighting a man with a burning sword, particularly seeing as I didn't have a shield. I held my own though and got a few hits in but he made me yield in the end." He said shaking his head and draining his mug.

"Well you did better than I expected. Thoros of Myr is one of the best they say." Tyler said comfortingly.

"You see lots of burning swords in battles; you grow more used to them the more you fight." Bronn said.

"Did you fight in the rebellion?" Jon asked suddenly.

"Not for any particular side but I remember it well enough, one of the kings men hired me and the group I was with for the Greyjoy rebellion though. Thoros of Myr was there also, and he was the first man through the breach." Bronn said, nostalgia setting in.

After a short silence Tyler said. "Oh by the way, did anything come from your interrogations of Cersei's handmaidens?"

"Aye! Thank the gods, she will attest to seeing Jaime and Cersei in the act." Jon said, shuddering at the thought.

"No doubt she was keeping silent from fear. Thank god we are in control. I mean look at Jory here, we couldn't ask for a better commander of the city watch." Tyler said indicating to where Jory sat with his head buried in his whores tits.

Jon laughed and Tyler struggled to stand on his leg. "I think I shall find my quarters, no doubt your father has tasks for me in the morning."

Jon stood and pulled him into a one armed hug. "Have a good sleep brother." He said smiling.

_Brother_. Tyler was touched, he had noticed the change in Jon. He was much different to how Tyler had known him in Winterfell. He seemed more confident and sure of himself, he was more outspoken and up front with everyone; and his bravery had reached completely new heights. _I bet his father and him had a very long talk._ It seemed to Tyler that all the problems between the Stark family could easily be solved with simple conversations but none of them seemed to want to talk about anything off any importance with each other.

Tyler stumbled half in pain and half in his drunken state as he reached his door, he tried to push himself up on the door handle but it slipped in his grasp and he fell straight to the floor with a thud. He began chuckling at his clumsiness on the floor when he heard his door open. "Oh gods, are you alright?" He heard that voice say, _that sweet serene voice_.

He felt himself being supported as he rose from the floor and looked to see Sansa carrying him up the stairs to his bed. "My lady, please don't trouble yourself I am fine." He said, suddenly feeling worlds more sober in her presence, or at least trying his best to. He pushed himself off her and got used to the balance and to the pain in his leg. He began limping to his bed and he heard Sansa following behind.

He kept his clothes on this time and he sat down on the end of his bed and rubbed his eyes. Sansa sat next to him, physically not too close but for Tyler she was far too close. He had to resist the urge to grab her and kiss her. _She has no business with the likes of me_.

"Is there something you wished to discuss my lady?" He asked politely, avoiding her eyes.

She remained silent for a while and just as Tyler was about to urge her on he heard a sob escaped her lips. He turned to look at her, the bottom half of her face was in her hands, her eyes were red and puffy and as she sobbed more and more her body began shaking. "My lady... Sansa, please don't cry, tell me what troubles you, I will do all I can to help I promise."

"It was... When the king died." She said, she seemed to afraid to speak and Tyler laid a hand on her shoulder and she calmed slightly at the touch. "Joffrey came to me alone, he said that my father was a traitor and that I was nothing more than a whore daughter of a traitorous... well he used a word that I would never utter. He said he was going to become king and he was going to kill my father." She said looking at Tyler. _Cunt._ He thought. "He said I was only good for one thing..." She began crying uncontrollably and her words became hard to understand but Tyler had the message of it well enough and his face darkened as did his mind and heart. He felt nothing but pure hatred.

He tried to hide it. "Sansa, what happened then is nothing but the past. Whoever your husband will be will understand that you are not at fault for this. You are a beautiful woman that any man in the Seven Kingdoms would be lucky to have, and you always will be. A little monster like Joffrey will never take the truth from you." Tyler grabbed her and held her tightly, she relaxed in his arms and pressed her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around Tyler's neck. He became increasingly aware of his hands rested firmly on her hips and after a long hug he drew away and kissed her forehead before standing. "I believe I left something vital with Jon, you must return to your quarters now Sansa, we will speak more of this I assure you."

She smiled at him and came closer, she went on her tip toes and kissed him gently on the cheek before departing. Tyler felt the white hot rage enter him again when she was gone. _Joffrey_. He left the room swiftly, as if the alcohol had already worn off him. He practically marched back to where the boys were all drinking still and they looked up at him curiously, his mood had broken theirs and they could tell something was wrong.

"You alright brother?" Jon asked him concernedly.

Tyler ignored him, looking Bronn straight in the eyes. "There's a quick job we need to do, very quick. Come with me, your whore can wait here we won't be long."

Bronn groaned and pushed the girl off his lap before he buckled on his sword and dagger. "Tyler what are you doing?" Jon asked suddenly.

Tyler looked at him but said nothing. _He'd kill him_. "Come along Bronn." He said before he spun around and marched to the stairs.

The descent down the stairs went quicker than it had ever seemed to go before and Tyler was almost walking normally in his anger as they entered the Red Keep. Although the night was dark, the keep was still alive, people were still wandering around and they gave Tyler stares as they saw his murderous gaze and his cut-throat ambling behind him. Tyler found the room with six gold cloaks posted outside and told them that Lord Stark had sent him to deliver a message to the Kingslayer. They stood aside quickly.

Tyler walked into the room where Joffrey was sitting on the bed twirling a coin through his fingers and Jaime was playing a board game with Tommen and Myrcella. He looked back at Bronn. "Use that chair to bar the door."

Bronn smiled at him mischievously and did as he told him. Jaime stood when he heard that and his fists clenched. "Make sure the Kingslayer doesn't do anything too stupid." Tyler commanded.

He looked to his left and saw Bronn draw his dagger and walk towards Jaime. Jaime scowled and threw himself forward with a punch and Bronn caught his hand and rested his dagger on Jaime's throat and pushed him against the wall.

"Stop! Please!" Tyler heard Myrcella say. _She knows nothing._ He said as he turned and looked at Joffrey who was now on his feet and backed up against the far wall.

Tyler approached slowly as he heard Tommen begin to cry. Joffrey backed into the corner of the room, his eyes frightened like a hunted deer. "Guards! He's a madman." He called out.

"The guards don't want to save a black-hearted, evil, little cunt like you. Nobody wants to save anybody like you." He said as he reached Joffrey, he grabbed his collar and lifted him off his feet spinning around and shoving him onto the bed. "I could put my sword through your heart and everyone in the kingdoms would get on with their lives and never give you another thought. But death is too kind for you."

As he finished he slammed his gloved fist into Joffrey's nose. The boy whimpered pathetically as his nose cracked and broke. "A thirteen year old girl barely flowered." He said as he punched him again, in the jaw this time. "You took the one thing she can never replace." He smashed his fist into Joffrey's teeth and two of them fell out. "I should cut off your little golden cock and serve to you in a piece of bread for your dinner you fucking little abomination." He said as he drove his fist into Joffrey's face over and over again, by the time he was done the boy's nose was a miss, half his teeth were gone, his cheeks and eyebrows were bleeding profusely and he was unconscious.

The door was rattling as the gold cloaks struggled to open the barred door and Jaime was wriggling in Bronn's grip. "Careful with your throat there Kingslayer." Bronn warned.

Tommen and Myrcella were both bawling their eyes out and Tyler gave them no mind, going to the door and releasing the chair, Bronn slammed the hilt of the dagger into Jaime's temple and he dropped unconscious on the spot. Tyler opened the door as Bronn sheathed his dagger and the two men left slowly.

"What the bloody hell happened?" One of the gold cloaks called out as Tyler walked away.

"He tripped." Tyler said as Bronn chuckled beside him


	12. Tyler the Knight

"Fear cuts deeper than swords boy, how many times much Syrio tell you before you remember this." Syrio Forel said as Arya once again dropped her wooden swords. "Do not be afraid of my attacks, meet them with courage."

Tyler smiled as Arya picked up her sword, she had the same stubborn commitment as Rickon but she was better paced, she knew to conserve her energy. This was the second time he had watched them training and Tyler was secretly getting hints at how to train a swordsman better. Syrio was a master, the moves that he sometimes used to teach the girl a lesson were perfectly executed as if he had done them a million times and more. Tyler wondered if he might make a useful sparring partner but knew it was a wasted thought, he was Aryas now.

When they took a small break Arya ran to where Tyler sat and sat cross legged in front of him. "Do you think you could beat Syrio?" She asked bluntly.

"No I don't think so, he is the best swordsman I've ever witnessed, and I've yet to see him at his best." Tyler said truthfully.

"When Lord Stark leaves for Winterfell I go with him, we may yet find out who is better ser knight." Syrio said with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Father said that Robb said you were the best swordsman he had seen." Arya said, her voice salted with admiration.

"Well, Robb has never seen Syrio fight." Tyler said teasingly. "Have you been to see him since he arrived?"

Robb had arrived with his army three days past and made camp outside the city walls. Eddard had gone down to see him himself and told him not to abandon the camp as Tywin was out there with an army somewhere. When Robb had arrived Ned went back to court and commissioned a knight named Ser Beric Dondarrion to go to all of the high lords in the south and request aid against the traitor to the realm. Tyler was confused that this had not been done weeks ago, now Robb's forces were vulnerable to an attack from Tywin's much stronger host.

"No, Father says it's too dangerous, Sansa wanted to see him and Father forbade it, she wasn't very pleased." Arya said.

"Your father is right, Robb is in much danger until reinforcements arrive. The garrison at Storm's End will likely be first. Ser Courtnay Penrose has already sent word." Tyler said confidently.

"Will there be a big battle?" Arya said with wide eyes.

"Aye, that's the way it's looking." Tyler said solemnly.

"Please don't let Robb or Jon or Father die." Arya said a bit quieter.

"I will do all I can to keep them alive Arya but I am just one man." He said honestly.

"I know." She said before she stood back up and gripped her wooden sword again.

Tyler suddenly felt hungry and waved them goodbye before moving through the hallways to the dining room, he found Sansa sitting at the table feasting on cheese and apples with Septa Mordane sitting in the corner weaving together some kind of shawl or scarf. Tyler sat at the table and saw Sansa look into his eyes and smile as her face slowly went red without her knowing, Tyler smiled back and filled a hunk of bread loaf with cold, salted beef and began eating slowly and politely.

"Are you enjoying your knighthood Ser Tyler?" He heard the septa say suddenly.

"I suppose I am, so far it seems no different to living. People treat me with a bit more respect though." He said. "Plus it helps that I am no longer called Hill, bastards are not usually well liked in these sorts of circles."

"You are one of the few knights in Westeros that is actually worthy of the title." Sansa said suddenly.

"I thank you Lady Sansa." He said with a smile

"Will you be returning to the north with us?" Sansa asked nervously.

"My knighthood is sworn to you father and brother's service Lady Sansa, my place is wherever their place is."

"Good." She said shortly. "I look forward to returning home."

"As do we all my lady." Tyler commented.

Lady Sansa was struggling to think of something to say when a crash from behind her disturbed their meal. Jon had barged through the door, his face was ashen and his eyes were scared. Tyler rose swiftly and walked up right next to him.

"What has happened Jon?" He asked quietly.

"Father needs you." He whispered. "Right now." He added even quieter.

"I regret I cannot finish my meal with you Lady Sansa. Perhaps another time." He said, she was about to answer but Tyler had already followed Jon out the door.

Ned's office was not very far and the boys were there within a minute, Tyler struggling on his leg as he closed the door behind him. "Sit down Tyler." He said, his voice a mixture of anger and sadness.

"What is the problem Lord Stark? Has something happened to Robb?" Tyler asked as fear crept into his voice.

"Theon sent me a raven, Tywin Lannister attacked Robb's forces along the Blackwater Rush. The men of the west pulled back rather quickly despite their superior numbers, Robb was last seen fighting in a circle surrounded by enemies." Ned said, nearly whispering by the end.

"A son for a son." Tyler said distantly.

"I'll not give him Jaime." Ned said strongly. "But I will not allow my son to be at Tywin Lannister's disposal. I want you and Jon down there now and I want you to bring Robb back no matter what the cost. The trial is not for another four days, try and be back by then Tyler, please." He said.

The stress was obviously destroying the Lord Regent, he seemed so frustrated and angry at that moment that Tyler found it hard to be confident in him for a few seconds. _I have a duty_. Lord Stark was depending on him and he would not fail. He would never fail the Stark's for the life they had given him.

"Your son will be saved Lord Stark." Tyler said before he limped out of the room.

Ned's voice cut him off at the doorway. "And Tyler?" Tyler turned to look at his stern and unmoving face. "Do not think that you have missed out on our discussion about your little visit to Joffrey." Tyler heard Jon chuckle in the corner before he continued his departure.

An hour later Tyler was standing outside the tavern that he had found Bronn inside and the sellsword was standing quietly and patiently as Tyler explained what they needed to do. Jon found him there.

"So what I need from you is to find every available, capable sellsword in the city and tell them they will have a big payday for a quick job. We need to leave well before nightfall." Tyler finished.

"Aye ser, you'll have your men at the Gate of the Gods within the next two hours." Bronn said bluntly before he sped off.

"Is all well with your father?" Tyler asked Jon as they walked towards the gate.

"Aye, he is stressed and depressed. He feels he has put our family at risk for the sake of his honour." Jon said, shaking his head.

"There is no such thing as personal honour when it comes to justice; he is doing the realm the biggest service imaginable. The people may not realise it but my family is the most dangerous thing for Westeros, your father has spared them much pain and suffering." Tyler said honestly.

"I just hope that Robb is alright." Jon said with a dark face.

"Were there any more details?" Tyler asked suddenly.

"Oh shit, yes of course. Theon said that they saw Robb surrounded by Ser Gregor Clegane, The Mountain tha..." Jon began saying.

"I know who he is Jon, I fought with him once. Carry on." Tyler said swiftly.

"...Right. Well, Greatjon Umber tried to lead a charge to save him and ended up blocking the Mountain from the rest of his host. When Tywin retreated the Mountain was left alone and he was forced to flee with Robb into the Kingswood. Theon sent parties out to watch the tree line; if he had emerged we would know about it."

Tyler thought for a little while before saying. "Theon is in charge now?" He said, astounded.

"No Theon did that as soon as the wounded men were seen to. Then Roose Bolton named himself unofficial acting commander of the host. Starks and Boltons have no great love for each other." He finished solemnly.

When they reached the gate Tyler was surprised to find Sandor Clegane there, apparently waiting for something. "Clegane." He said politely. "To what do we owe the pleasure."

"You take pleasure from seeing me your either blind or your head's fucked, little knight." The Hound said in his raspy voice.

"Either way, what are you doing here?" Jon asked.

"A dog needs a master, you seem a capable and strong man, plus I've heard you're deadly with that sword and you've had to use it more than anyone can believe." The Hound said quietly.

"_You?_ Want to fight for _me_?" Tyler said, taken aback. He began howling with laughter but when he saw the scowl on Sandor's face he wiped of his grin and quieted down. "I'm sorry Sandor, it's just I can't believe it. You're Joffrey's shield are you not?"

"Was." He said, sniffing. "Until his family got themselves out of power. I just want to fight, that's all."

"I believe you. Normally I'd be more wary in situations like this but we need every sword we can get." Tyler said, Jon shot a look at him but Tyler stared him down. "You will be fighting your brother, is that a problem?"

The Hound grinned bigger than Tyler had ever heard of him smiling. "You just made my summer Ser Snowblade."

The camp was just outside the city walls. Tyler, Jon, Bronn and the Hound all made their way on foot to where Roose Bolton, Greatjon Umber and Theon Greyjoy all waited for them.

"Lord Eddard sent a raven that you'd be coming and here you are." Roose said almost inaudibly as he walked off ahead of the group towards the big command tent behind him.

Greatjon Umber came up and clapped a hand on Jon Snow's back. "I've never heard of no snow in the capital." He said, as his laugh boomed out over the whole camp. "Come along, you can tell us about all these southern girl's you've been stabbing."

"Come, Tyler, the quicker all this is done the better." Theon said urgently.

They all followed Roose's lead into the tent and Tyler left Bronn outside with the Hound and all the sellswords, along with the fifty Winterfell men that Ned had given Jon. The command tent was smaller than Tyler expected but it reminded him of the North, grey and brown everywhere and all the principal bannermen of the Starks surrounding a circular table. The only food that Tyler saw in the room was being shoved down Wyman Manderly's throat, roast chicken with hundreds of different sauces, bread, and sweet cakes surrounded his section of the table where others had maps and letters. Greatjon Umber moved to stand beside Lord Rickard Karstark of Karhold. Maege Mormont sat fingering the top of her spiked mace next to her fearsome daughter Dacey. The woman of Bear Island looked sad and grim, it was clear to Tyler that their loyalty to Robb was genuine, whereas Lord Bolton and Lord Karstark had a look of simplicity and ease. Greatjon was fiercely loyal to Robb as everyone had learned when Grey Wind took his fingers and his son Smalljon was fiercely loyal to Greatjon. Wyman Manderly was too focused on his chicken to care, which left the Glovers. The lord of Deepwood Motte Galbart Glover and his brother Robett, they were stone-faced hard men, not particularly large in size but fierce looking none the less. _They are soldiers; they will follow orders and live their lives._ Tyler decided.

"My lords, Eddard Stark has commanded me to find Robb, I mean to do so by nightfall tomorrow. Any men that you could see fit to lend me would be a great help." Tyler said as the silence settled among the lords.

"Nightfall tomorrow?" Lord Karstark said with a laugh. "The child is overconfident I'd say." He said turning to Roose Bolton.

Roose held a finger to his lips. "Let us see how brave Ser Snowblade intends to accomplish this, my best hunters haven't found Gregor Clegane; what makes you think you can do it within hours?"

"There is no think involved Lord Bolton, I know I can do it within hours. Your hunters have not found Ser Gregor because they do not know him. I did once, I can cage the mad dog." Tyler said confidently.

"I would still like to know your pla..." Roose Bolton began saying.

"Will you give us the men or not!?" Jon said with his voice raised. "My brother is out there with the Mountain somewhere getting god knows what done to him."

"What will it be my lords?" Tyler said looking around at them.

"Aye, Dacey take ten of your best swords and go with Tyler and do as he says." Maege said almost instantly.

Greatjon shot Smalljon a look and he rose to leave the tent. "He'll not let you down boy." Tyler nodded his thanks.

Rickard sent his captain of guards with a scowl on his face and Galbart and Robett Glover both came forward. "We will each bring ten men." Robett said to Tyler.

"We'll rescue Robb lad, have no fear." Galbart said tenderly to Jon.

Wyman Manderly perked up and shouted for his captain of guards. "Send thirty men to rescue Robb; I want to know our leader is in good hands." _None of them say lord, they do not know if Ned or Robb is lord._ Tyler chuckled to himself.

"No men from you Lord Bolton? Is that what I understand?" Jon said to him calmly.

Roose almost scowled but he held it back. "My men are scouting in the Kingswood as I already said, if you need so much more go and find them!" He said as he stormed out of the tent.

As the Hound was rounding up all the men gathered Jon and Tyler sat having a drink of water. "I love the camp atmosphere." Jon said suddenly.

"You could stay? It's just as easy for me to pick up your duties in the city." Tyler suggested as he took another swig.

"I may just think about that..." He said, his voice trailing away as if he were dropping to sleep. Tyler chuckled and looked up to see him staring intently over the camp. In the near distance Tyler spotted a healer woman tending to a man with an arrow in his thigh. The girl was beautiful but the mud and blood did her no favours but Jon was completely captured with her. Jon did not even seem like he wanted to hide it. "By the gods."

"Aye." Tyler said as took another swig. Jon turned to him confused. "She's pretty." Tyler said with a chuckle.

"Pretty? Look at her, she's beautiful." Jon said distantly.

"Go and talk to her, tell her to come stay in your tent for the night." Tyler said instantly.

"Should I?" Jon said carefully, then he clicked. "What do you mean tent?"

"If you don't stay at the camp now, I will." Tyler said giving the girl a glance to annoy Jon. "I can rescue your brother without you just as easily. I have no fear of Ser Gregor Clegane."

"Why not?" Jon asked suddenly. "I mean you keep saying you know him but what do you know?"

"Ser Gregor is a human only in appearance, he is an evil twisted creature with an evil soul and a lazy conscience. He lives for chaos, blood and death. He doesn't fight for gold he fights to kill. My father figured out how to leash him, by keeping his bloodlust sated. The Mountain has been destroying my father's enemies for years. This task of keeping Robb as a hostage with no contact to my father will bore him. But he will wait in the woods until the lion clears away the wolves for him, and I know where he will wait, because I fought there with him when I was fourteen years old." Tyler finished meekly, he did not want to say the last bit but it slipped out.

"What happened?" Jon asked carefully.

"A man came to see my father when I was ten years old, he was old but not yet in his elderly years, about your father's age; perhaps older. But he came to my father seeking private audience. He told him that he was Tytos Lannister's bastard son, my grandfather's bastard son. He claimed that he had all the smallfolk of Lannisport and Casterly Rock ready to follow him and destroy my father and his family. I only learned all this because I was hidden in the chest at the head of my father's table in his solar. Anyway, the moment my father got up and approached him in anger I heard the cloth touch the steel. So I busted out of the box, surprising both of them, I grabbed the man's hand and wrestled the knife from him. Tywin beat him and said he would have him hanged. The next morning he was freed by a group of warriors, the guards chased them off and that was the last we saw of him for some time. But A Lannister pays his debts and eventually four years later word reached us that he was living in the Kingswood with a small army in an abandoned ruin of a fort. So father sent the Mountain and he sent me with him to show me how real battle was done. We cleared out the bandits quite easily but the man was not there." Tyler paused and took another drink, breathing slowly. "A warhorn sounded somewhere through the trees and the man returned with a larger group of men carrying some banners of some outlaw lord or another. We tried to defend the ruin, but there were too many openings. I begged the Mountain to surrender, that we might be spared. I was younger then, far more naïve. He laughed and told me to stick at his side. I rallied the men and we all followed him into the fray, he was a madman, he killed damn near all of them and we just picked up his leavings. I killed a few to be sure and I kept my pace with him but he was unstoppable that day. It's his favourite story to tell, no doubt if he's stuck in the Kingswood, that's where he's going." Tyler said, staring out into the trees before looking back at the small group of warriors assembled.

"Are you ok?" Jon asked suddenly.

"I am in command of all these men; if they die I am responsible." Tyler said, letting fear shadow his voice.

"Then do not let them die." Jon said with a chuckle, grabbing the cup.


	13. Tyler has a Plan

"God's Bronn, is now the best time for that?" Tyler said as Bronn offered him the skin of wine.

"It's always the best time for this." Bronn whispered.

"We are near the ruin, put the fucking wine away and signal the men to stop and gather around, I need to tell them the plan; all of them." Tyler said with his voice lowered. "But tell them to remain quiet, I doubt that Gregor would send out scouts but it's not impossible so we need to stay alert. Surprise will be the key to victory."

Bronn smiled at that. "Victory is what these boys like." He swigged down more wine before putting it back in his saddlebag.

Tyler limped to where a large rock blocked them from view and cleared the leaves out of the dirt. He pulled out his dagger and began hacking at the ground, he drew a rough sketch from memory of the fort. It had been two years ago but Tyler's memory had always been sound and he managed to do a good enough likeness to what lay ahead. The men had almost all gathered around as close as comfort would allow, Tyler knelt by the entrance to his fort drawing and looked up at them.

He sniffed and rubbed his nose before sheathing his dagger and scratching his chin. "Robb's in there, most likely right there." He said, pointing to the drawing of the little cell that the Mountain had forced Tyler to kill his first man in. He shook the thought from his mind. "And we've got to get him out, now in between us and the completion of that goal is an eight foot tall, blood-thirsty killing machine and his favourite troop of men that number roughly five hundred men, perhaps less after the battle. The plan I have concocted is a way to win this skirmish with minimal casualties and the capture of Gregor Clegane which will result in the rescue of Robb and the gratitude of Eddard Stark. The sort of gratefulness that can only be expressed through generosity." Tyler said with a smirk, all the sellswords chuckled. "How many men do we have with crossbows?"

In total Tyler had three hundred and ten men at his command, ninety five of them made up the men he had acquired from the northern lords, fourty five were the men that had been given to Jon by Ned and the rest were sellswords and the Hound.

Galbart Glover returned with the count. "We've got sixty with crossbows and ten with longbows."

Tyler smiled. "Sandor." The Hound stepped up with his hand on his pommel. "You will take fourty of the crossbowmen and all the longbows and harass your brother's forces. Bronn and Dacey will come with me with one hundred and thirty of the remaining men including ten of the crossbowmen and Galbert and Robett will go with the other half with the last of the crossbowmen." He pointed to a spot near the prison. "This is a weakness, the prison is underground and a section of the roof is open wide enough for a man to squeeze through one at a time. Galbert, you and your brother will take this entrance and Smalljon will go with you. Smalljon, it is your task and yours alone to secure Robb and keep him safe and away from the battle, you're a big man, if he struggles; restrain him. There is an old wooden door into what used to be the kitchen around the back here through where the gardens were. It's easy enough to kick down so me and Bronn and Dacey will take that entrance. Gentlemen, let's get to work." He said, struggling to his feet as the Hound sorted out his archers and the men divided themselves. "Remember we want the Mountain alive so don't attack him, just hold him off."

Bronn came to up to Tyler eagerly. "I've counted the men, we're set to go."

Tyler smiled back. "Men, the ruin is but miles ahead, Sandor you stick to the path, Galbart make sure you are on the right side and we will stay to the left. Forward men."

They marched lightly and relaxedly to reduce noise, a few people were wearing heavy armour but not enough to startle the enemy from so far away. The fort soon came into sight. Tyler and Bronn had their men behind the trees and they looked on as Sandor Clegane carved down the two guards near the ruined doorway like they were straw dummies. Three more men came at him but they were taken by crossbow bolts and the Hound slashed out the other's throat. The crossbowmen pushed to the wall and began shooting at men from cover. Tyler hurried his troop along as soon as he saw that Sandor was secure. They had to push through dense undergrowth before they reached the door and Dacey Mormont cleared it with her one-handed, double-bladed axe. Bronn slammed his foot into the door and it swung open. Tyler charged through the door first and saw the hallway up ahead through the kitchens, men were running around frantically warning the whole fort and Tyler flew through the open door and slammed into one of the runners, he pinned him against the wall and shoved his sword through the mans stomach. He ripped it out and turned around to see Bronn parry a cut and slash his opponent down before throwing his knife into a charging man's neck. Tyler's men streamed through and pummelled into the men who were trying to repel them but the defenders were too panicked. Tyler limped slowly down the hallway and saw Dacey Mormont to the right of him, she had blood on her axe and a cut on her arm but she had a grimace of anger not pain. A troop of men rounded the corner up ahead and saw Tyler walking with his blood covered men behind him. They saw the superior numbers and ran the opposite way, Tyler shouted to charge them.

He had that bloodlust now, that craving for danger, for the risk of losing his life and overcoming the odds. He forgot all about his limp and moved as fast as humanly possible as he chased down the Mountain's men next to Bronn. He saw the leader of the troop was a brown headed, ugly, loud mouth named Polliver. Dacey Mormont slammed her axe into one of the soldier's heads as she ran and Tyler leapt over her as she followed it to the ground and wrenched it out. Mid-air Tyler manage to whip a backslash at the man in front of him and blood sprayed into Tyler's chest. He landed on his feet and blocked a slash from the man to his right and used his left hand to unsheathe his dagger and ram the man to the other side of him in the throat. Tyler flicked the soldier's sword away from his and spun before sweeping it diagonally, deep into the man's torso. Bronn flew in behind him hacked and slashed at the frightened men. Tyler turned and ducked under a neck swing before plunging the dagger into the man's chest twice and pushing his limp body towards the next attacker, the man went down with a crash and Tyler swept his sword along the mans throat as he lay on the floor.

He looked around to see the troop cleared apart from Polliver who was struggling against one of Ned Stark's men before Dacey planted her axe in the back of his head. His eyes went back and he dropped instantly. Bronn gave a loud whoop and all the sellswords joined him. Tyler looked back at them all. "We need to get to the courtyard and help Sandor, around this corner." He said as they continued down the hallway, the entrance was another missing piece of stone in the wall and Tyler lead the men through it and saw the ruin scattered and covered in bodies with bolts and arrows sticking out of them. Robett Glover had cornered the remainder of the men and Sandor was in the middle beating his brother with is fists relentlessly kneeling over him, Ser Gregor Clegane's face was a bleeding, cut, bruised mess and he had a bolt in his leg and a bolt in his bicep. Tyler saw Smalljon kneeling next to Robb who was drinking from a water skin sitting up against a stone wall. He was bare-chested with tattered cloth pants and shoes made of wrapped up material and a rope, he had a wound from the battle that had been tended on his shoulder and he had more recent bruises on his face.

Tyler moved to Robb's side swiftly. He grabbed the unwounded shoulder and pulled Robb into his embrace. Robb gripped him tightly and Tyler felt his chin quivering on his shoulder. "Tyler, nothing I could do will ever repay you for what you have done for me today." He said gazing intensely into his eyes. "Gregor said Tywin was going to behead me anyway."

"No one will behead you while I breathe my lord." Tyler said with a hand on his shoulder. "This is Bronn, a sellsword in my service."

"I thank you also Bronn, Smalljon told me of your part in this also." Robb said, looking at the hulking warrior kneeling beside him.

"It was no problem m'lord, Tyler here saw to that." He said strongly.

"Smalljon, I want Ser Gregor in chains and I want you to take personal charge of him with Bronn and the sellswords, if they get bored they can have a punching bag." Tyler said. Smalljon strolled off and pulled the Hound off him. The Hound laughed and shouted for a drink.

"Maybe it'll make you hit harder!" Ser Gregor yelled through shattered teeth.

The Hound burst into sprint at his brother as Smalljon dragged him away before Smalljon dropped Ser Gregor and turned with his fist swinging. It connected with the Hound's temple at a violent speed and he fell to the floor instantly. He tried to rise but he was groggy and Smalljon rolled him over with his foot. "Tyler here ordered me to take charge of him, not you." He said as he grabbed Gregor by the neck and dragged him toward the prison.

"You have your equipment lying somewhere I presume?" Tyler asked.

"I'll find it." Bronn said swiftly before Robb could answer.

"You'll be taking charge I fear, much more of a moral boost for the men." Tyler said grimly.

"Not by the sounds of things, the men seem to be in awe of you." He said looking around at the men gathered all around him.

Tyler leaned forward. "I meant for when we arrive at the camp but these men are sellswords, they don't like dying, It's bad for business. They are in awe of me because most if not all will be getting paid a lot of money and not many, if any have wounds that will cause them much pain."

Once Robb was outfitted with the weapons and armour that the Mountain had taken from him he felt much stronger and more confident. He began moving with less pain and they were ready to leave quite quickly.

Tyler was going to suggest they leave until Robb spoke up first. "Any way you look at it these men were soldiers and warriors." He said, gesturing to the corpses that were littered with bolts. "Dig a mass grave, we will burn their bodies, they fought with bravery and don't deserve to be lunch for crows."

Tyler was not surprised by the act of generosity but he looked at the sellswords groaning in annoyance and had to wonder, _Robb needs to learn to weigh a man's loyalty before he gives certain commands._ Tyler decided it was best not to tell him how to lead his army. Ned's men followed his orders instantly and began digging the grave, the other northern men were dragging the bodies into a pile where the grave was being dug and Tyler tried to encourage the sellswords to help where they could. It took him and Bronn a few minutes to get them all to work but when everyone was contributing the task was completed swiftly. Tyler kicked the last corpse into the grave and Robb himself lit the torch. They had showered the grave with dry leaves and twigs and soon all the bodies in view were ablaze and the men did not linger.

"Let us hope there isn't a forest fire." Tyler said as he hurried to catch up with Robb at the head of the men.

"I doubt that very much." Robb said distantly. "How are the girls?" He asked eagerly.

"Sansa was forbidden to come see you, now I hope she will understand why, Arya is happy, she is learning to water dance like a Braavosi." He said with a chuckle.

"I got word of your visit to the little royal prick." Robb said glancing at him with a grin. "The boy had it coming."

"You have no idea." Tyler said knowingly.

"No I suppose not." Robb said, missing the hidden meaning. "But I have heard tales of the cruelty he showed all through his life, we do not need another mad king."

Tyler smiled at the comment, _Robb is more observant than I realised; perhaps this march has changed him_. "Indeed we don't. Tell me of the battle." He said amiably.

"I was marching everyone forward to look for signs of his host and where they had been, I figured if he tried to lay siege to the city while we were gone we could simply attack from behind and he would be crushed. It was as if his army had vanished the day that father turned him away from the city. Some came from the Kingswood, others came rushing out of a small village along the Rush, the rest came from our right flank; we were taken by surprise, I tried to spread the troops to hold while I figured out how to proceed. Then the Mountain attacked, he was crazed like nothing would stop him. He cut down Harrion Karstark right next to me and clubbed me with his gauntlet, his men carried me off and I remember nothing of the battle after that." Robb said, he sounded tired and worn through.

"And you're captivity? Nothing too vile I hope?" Tyler asked carefully.

"No, I was beaten and cut a few times by one they called the Tickler. A small pleasure for me to see his body burning." He commented with a scowl.

"Why did Jon not come?" Robb asked quietly.

"Various reasons, none of them personal I assure you." Tyler said, Robb was looking at him insistently so Tyler relented. "Lord Bolton has designs for your command post I fear, which would suggest he has designs for the future of his house, Jon is representing the Stark's in the camp while you are away, keeping the men in line and keeping them loyal. Also he found that he liked the soldier's atmosphere of the camp and a particular healing woman took his eye."

"Talisa?" Robb said suddenly.

"I did not learn her name. She was a beautiful one though." Tyler said, remembering the grubby woman ripping an arrow out of a man's thigh.

"Aye, that'd be Talisa." He said with a smile. "If only I had his freedom, but _someone _saw fit to make a marriage alliance without asking me."

"We needed that bridge, '_whatever the cost'_, you said to me. I remember it well." Tyler said defensively.

"I know, I know." Robb said, his voice slightly frustrated. "It's okay, I will do my damned duty, as always." He was staring straight ahead and Tyler noticed his hands clenching roughly by his side.

They were welcomed to the camp with a cheer, men clustered around them and said their piece to Lord Robb, they clamoured to shake his hand and clap his shoulder and a few men approached Tyler as well. When Smalljon brought the Mountain through men were hitting him and kicking him as he went past. Smalljon threw away the men who were closest to him and drove a path to the command tent and threw him down in the middle of the clearing in front of the tent.

Tyler and Robb finally made it up the hill. Robb approached all the northern lords who had gathered and Tyler went to Bronn and told him that he could disband the sellswords to collect their payment from Eddard Stark. _My first command, a brief but successful one_, Tyler congratulated himself. He turned again and noticed for the first time the red and blue banner flapping in the wind below the direwolf of the Starks, on it was a leaping trout and out of the tent came Edmure Tully, Blackfish and about nine or so men that Tyler had not met. Robb almost squeaked with pleasure as he saw the growing direwolf padding out of the tent, it leapt at him pinned him down licking his face before stepping off and rubbing his head into Robb's armpit. The men all smiled and laughed at their lord and his wolf.

Robb rose quickly and they quieted down. "You are a welcome sight uncles. Regretful that you did not arrive in time but thanks to my friend Ser Tyler here we have not been disadvantaged in any serious way." He turned out towards all the soldiers. "We have a war to win men, a war to win in the name of justice and to keep peace in the realm. The Lannister's want to own the Seven Kingdoms, it's our task to beast the bastards back to Casterly Rock. They may have gold and they may have no morals but we have one thing that the Lannister's don't, we have friends. Lord's from all over the realm will flock to help bring peace and when we outnumber Tywin ten to one we can end his ambitions. I will not give up, I will not rest until justice is served and if this monster can't stop me..." He said, turning to where Ser Gregor knelt in chains beside him and slamming his mailed boot into the Mountain's face causing him to crash onto the ground. "...Then I doubt that anything will."

The men all screamed and cheered. "Robb! Robb! ROBB!" They shouted getting louder and louder. Men slammed their gauntlets against their armoured chests and a huge thud boomed around the camp as they all did it simultaneously.

"Shall we?" Robb said, gesturing to the tent.

The congregation of lords and knights and generals all moved into the command tent where Jon stood sitting on the edge of one of the many tables he had pushed together to fit everybody.

"A rousing speech." Jon commented.

Robb rushed forward and yanked Jon into a hug, the two boys were embracing fro some time and smiling and laughing before Tyler cleared his throat and Robb turned to the waiting lords. "I apologise, please take your seats, we have much to discuss I am sure."

The men each found a seat and Tyler was naturally picking out cliques of friends as they all clamoured to sit next to a certain person. Robb sat Tyler to his left and Jon to his right and the lords and knights all looked at them in anticipation.

"I fear I am new to my lordship uncle, you will have to introduce your friends to me. Besides you Ser Stevron, and you Ser Hosteen, We met at the Twins of course." Robb said with as much courtesy as he could muster.

Edmure Tully smirked. "Of course Robb." He pointed to the men sitting at the table first. "This is Jason Mallister, Lord of Seagard; Patrek Mallister, his son, is a dear friend of mine and a formidable knight. To my right is Ser Marq Piper of Pinkmaiden, sent in the name of his father Lord Clement. This man is Lord Tytos Blackwood of Raventree, one of my father's most loyal bannermen. Jonos Bracken here is lord of Stone Hedge and a dear friend to my family. Ser Raymun Darry is a valiant knight from Castle Darry and William Mooton here is Lord of Maidenpool." Edmure finished quickly as each man nodded or smiled in turn.

"I look forward to fighting with all of you any friends to the Tullys are friends of the Starks." Robb said sincerely. "Why were you not here earlier?"

"As we told Lord Bolton when we arrive..." Jason Mallister began blurting out.

"Lord Bolton is not in command here, I am." Robb said, looking sideways at the brooding lord of the Dreadfort.

"Of course Lord Robb, my mistake." Jason said warily.

"He only meant to explain that Lord Tywin had sent a small troop of men to harass us along our march, it was clearly part of his strategy to capture you dear nephew." Edmure explained.

"Of course, he is a very clever strategist, but now you all are here and our numbers are almost doubled. He will not attempt anything so daring again. If it weren't for Tyler here this war would be lost already." The river lords all gazed over Tyler, silently judging him before Robb continued speaking. "We have the Mountain, I will send him into the city to my father for punishment."

Jon interjected politely. "Send Tyler to take him, Father sent a raven saying he needed you back in the city as soon as possible."

Tyler nodded quickly before Robb continued. "A sound idea, my brother Jon here is to be my second in command. As much as I trust you all, Jon is my brother and no trust runs deeper than blood. Tywin has disappeared, he does not know his plan has failed; he will try to reconnect with the Mountain by staging a battle near the Kingswood. It is the safest move for him he assumes that within the chaos his mad dog will come to him from the trees with me in chains, he will receive an entirely different welcome, he will no doubt already know that you fine men have joined us from the riverlands. It's an easy way to earn money in war if you watch everything around you and send ravens to the enemy. So you will be with the vanguard, he will not be expecting any surprises, Edmure will lead it as that is what Tywin will expect. Greatjon can pass as big enough to be the Mountain from a distance, we will ride out of the Kingswood with me in chains and plunge into their side, then they will know that their cause is doomed."

Tyler was impressed, Robb's voice was hard and strong and he had a certain joy oozing from his words that suggested his new found strategy was born from a need to pay Lord Tywin back for his capture. As the men congratulated him Tyler stood and whispered in Robb's ear. "I'll take Gregor back now. Could we talk outside for a second."

"I'll return shortly my lords." Robb said as he followed Tyler outside. "What's the problem?"

"Absolutely nothing, have no fear. I wanted to ask a favour." Tyler said slowly.

"I owe you a million favours." Robb said astounded.

"You owe me nothing. But Sandor Clegane is a lost soul, he needs to fight as his brother does but for different reasons. You will see what I mean when you have watched how he carries himself I assure you, let him fight for you. He has no harbouring loyalty to the Lannisters." Tyler said reassuringly.

Robb smiled. "Not much of a favour really. Of course I will, but you have vouched for him, if he does anything wrong it's your fault as much as his."

It was nightfall by the time that Tyler reached the Tower of the Hand. He had taken the Mountain to the black cells ready to be paraded in court the following day. He had seen Bronn leaving the Tower of the Hand with the last of the sellswords being paid. Bronn had asked if he still had need of his services but Tyler said that he could have a break for a few days and to seek him out at the beginning of the next week if he still wanted work. Tyler was exhausted as he climbed the steps, his leg was aching and his eyes were heavy. Now that he was back in the city he did not relish the moment that Ned chose to discuss why he had beaten Joffrey. Sansa had said nothing about it and made no mention whether she wanted her father to know or not, Tyler had naturally assumed not. Ned would punish him for losing his cool and treating the prisoners cruelly but if he knew why it might be different, but Tyler did not want to risk betraying Sansa's trust. He reached the set of rooms quickly and struggled up the steps, he dragged his feet over to his bed and fell onto the mattress, his sword hilt dug up into his ribcage when he landed.

"Fuck!" He yelped in pain. He jumped off it and wrenched his belt off tossing his weapons on the floor. He sat up with his head in his hands and unlaced his cloak, he dropped that to the floor and stood up stretching out.

He was about to remove his other clothes when he heard the door open once again. He swallowed nervously; _I hope Ned doesn't want to talk now_. He said, almost in prayer. As the footsteps ascended the stairs he saw a young, red-haired woman holding the bottom of her dress above the ground with one hand and a candle to see in the other. She was wearing a nightgown of white silk with a grey robe over top. The nightgown was low-cut and Tyler struggled to avert his eyes from Sansa's growing breasts as she approached.

"My lady, are you alright? Nothing happened again did..." He said as she moved beside him and put the candle on the bed and released her grip on the dress. She interrupted him by slithering her arms around the back of his neck and going on tip toes to plant a soft, loving kiss on his lips. Tyler was stunned, he had no idea what happening until he noticed his arms hanging lazily by his side and he grabbed her waist gently squeezing her soft skin. He closed his eyes and his lips found hers, her mouth opened this time and their tongues began dancing as they kissed each other passionately and furiously. Tyler felt like he was lost in a dream, he could feel only her lips and her tongue, nothing else existed to him, not the millions of people in the city outside or the soldiers in the camp, not his father nor young Rickon at home, only Sansa's kiss and the feel of her warm body in his hands. He moved one hand to play with her hair. _No, we will both regret this. _He thought as she suddenly began trying to lift his tunic over his head. He pulled back and she looked hurt for a while.

"Sansa, I want this more than anything in the world right now, but you are a lady." He reminded her. "You maidenhead is something for your husband to own." He said awkwardly.

"Of course." She said distantly. "I never meant to... you know."

"Aye, of course not, I knew that." He lied.

"Thank you." She said softly, pressing her body against his and kissing his lips tenderly.

"For what?"

"For what you did to Joffrey, as brutal as it was I was very thankful." She said quietly in his ear.

"He did more than enough to earn it Lady Sansa." Tyler said humbly.

"I wonder if you might start referring to me as my love. I think it far more suitable." She said nervously, with a giggle.

"Of course, my love." He said, lifting her off of her feet and kissing her deeply once more. "Now get to bed, before you make me do something we will both regret."

They kissed three more times before she finally left and Tyler lay his head down on the pillow, his exhaustion escaped from him. He sighed and fell into some very comforting dreams.


	14. Tyler Makes New Friends

Saving Robb had become a timely boon for Tyler as Ned and everybody else pretty much forgot about his beating of Joffrey. Tyler was yet to be punished for it and doubted he would receive more than a scolding. It had been weeks since he had returned from his rescue mission. Three times since that first night he and Sansa had met in secret, they had not had sex yet of course but the time they spent was fun nonetheless. They would sit in the godswood and she would massage his neck as they talked about anything and everything. They played games and made all sorts of things like artwork and cheap jewellery with beads and letters. Tyler smiled just thinking about it, but thoughts of happiness always brought thoughts of doubt and Tyler wondered once again what the rest of the Starks would say when they learned of their secret romance. Things were changing so fast and it made Tyler feel uneasy. Last night he had received a raven from Rickon, nothing too important inside really but it made him yearn for Winterfell and for all this business to be behind them. Ned Stark was of a mind with him, the position of Lord Regent was beginning to wear him down and he became more agitated by the day. Tyler did his best to share the load but Ned was an honourable man and he would not let others do the jobs he was told to do. He had received a raven from his wife that had counteracted the plan that Robb had devised to beat Tywin, instead he had crushed Stafford Lannister and a quarter of their forces. Catelyn wrote to say that Tywin had appeared in Tully lands raiding and burning villages. Ned had his hands full with Tywin's rebellion and the trial.

The main reason for Tyler's unrest was the congregation of lords and ladies that had gathered in the capital. Ser Courtnay Penrose had brought the men from the stormlands to Renly Baratheon who had assumed command instantly. Stannis Baratheon had arrived next with his dismal host, he was striding around announcing to everyone that he will change things when he is king. Tyler had become more worried when Renly began protesting saying that Stannis would be an awful king. _He is right of course but it does not good to deny the truth_. Mace Tyrell and his sons Garlan and Loras lead the enormous army from the Reach and Tyler was more than suspicious that they had ambitions for power. Lord Varys had come to tell Ned and Tyler not a few hours ago that Prince Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne was bringing the Dornish host north to join forces with Robb. One of the largest armies ever assembled would be in the capital in a few weeks time all them joined to see the Lannisters fall.

Now Tyler was sitting with Ned discussing everything as the stars and the moon covered the city with silence and darkness. "Arya tells me you and Syrio have begun sparring." Ned mentioned randomly.

"Aye, very challenging that is." Tyler said with a smile.

"I can imagine." Ned said.

"Have you any word from Jon?" Tyler asked.

"Aye, he tells me he's been spending time tending the wounded." Ned said with a proud glint in his eye.

Tyler burst out laughing. "I'll bet he is."

"I don't understand."

"Jon is smitten with a healing woman in the camp." Tyler explained casually.

Ned smirked. "Sounds like trouble."

Tyler sat back in the chair and relaxed. "When will the trial be held?"

"Two days from now." Ned said uneasily. "I believe we have all the evidence we will need, a confession would be most welcome however."

"Who will judge them?" Tyler asked curiously.

"Myself, Stannis and the High Septon." Ned said quietly.

"Well they'll both die then." Tyler said instantly, the middle Baratheon was known as a cold and ruthless man.

"Stannis tells me he means to spare Jaime, too much trouble dealing with the westerlands if the Lannisters are obliterated." Ned said even quieter.

"You will let Stannis do this?" Tyler asked surprised.

"He is the rightful king now, after the trial he will be coronated and we will return north." Ned said longingly.

"Well he is wiser than I have heard." Tyler said with a smirk. "If the Lannisters wither away then there will be another war to deal with in the west."

"But Jaime will never forgive anyone for this. Lannisters always pay their debts don't they?" Ned said grimly.

"Aye I think I've heard that said once or twice." Tyler said with a chuckle.

Ned started laughing the moment a knock came at the door. "At this hour?" He said quietly, looking at Tyler. "Come in."

Jory stepping inside purposefully and stood to attention, he looked exhausted but tried to stand tall as he spoke. "Lord Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone to see you m'lord, he says it's urgent."

"Send him in Jory." Ned said straight away.

Jory's golden cloak swirled behind him and he stepped out of the door and muttered something. Stannis Baratheon strode in wearing plain black and dark blue clothes. He adorned no jewellery or cloak and his short hair was slightly messy. "Evening, gentlemen." He said as he sat down next to Tyler at the desk.

"How are you Stannis?" Ned asked sincerely.

"Oh couldn't be much better truth be told." He said with a small grin on his face.

Tyler chuckled. "I can imagine."

Stannis turned to look at him. "You look like Jaime." He said simply.

"I am Ser Tyler Snowblade of Winterfell my lord. I believe we met when you arrived in the city." Tyler said politely.

"Right." He said, he turned to Ned. "He another of Jaime's bastards?"

Ned's face was hard when he answered. "Ser Tyler is a knight sworn in service to my house, his lineage no longer ma..."

"I am Lord Tywin Lannister's bastard son, my lord." Tyler said interjecting.

"Interesting. Who's your mother?" Stannis asked.

"Haven't a clue, my lord."

"Fair enough." Stannis said sitting back in his chair

"You said it was urgent Stannis?" Ned said tiredly.

"Oh aye, that's right." Stannis said, he leaned forward once again. "The trial is in two days and I am one of the judges, we've enough to behead Cersei without a trial by combat; thank the gods. I know I told you that I wanted to spare Jaime but I've had a much better idea."

"Oh yes?" Ned said impatiently.

"We have enough to behead him too but I think we reveal just enough for a trial by combat and I will defeat him and prove to the realm that as their king I will be able to defend them in the name of justice and peace." Stannis said piously.

"What will become of the children?" Ned asked warily.

"What of them? I thought we would behead them, as creatures of incest, regardless?" Stannis asked confusedly.

Tyler shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I could understand Joffrey but Tommen and Myrcella are innocents in this, they have done nothing whatsoever."

"You going to protect your little niece and nephew? You're welcome to try." Stannis said harshly.

Tyler stood suddenly and Stannis stood with him, Ned slammed his fist onto the tabletop and the two men stopped instantly. "Tyler, leave." He said sternly.

Tyler shot a look at him before looking back at Stannis and bowing. "Your Grace."

Tyler limped away from the room angrily and made his way out of the tower, fucking_ idiot, does he think he can actually beat Jaime?_ He had been sitting for a long time so his leg was not used to the pressure and when he reached the bottom of the steps he had to rest again. The entire process made his mind got white with fury and he lost control slamming his hand through the wooden door. In the courtyard he saw a group of girls standing and staring at him, they all giggled and whispered to each other as Tyler pulled his bloody hand from the door. One of the girls ran to wear he stood and gasped when she came close enough to see him.

"Ser Tyler? I had no idea you were so strong." The girl said jokingly. "I don't believe we have met, my name is Margaery of House Tyrell, I have heard much about you ser." She added quietly. "Oh but you are hurt, come with me, me and my companions will tend your wound. My brother Loras has been dying to meet you."

Tyler was surprised at that, he still felt the rage inside him so he did not speak back to her for fear of snapping at her but instead let her drag him to her companions who all fussed and fretted over his hand and his leg. The walk to their rooms was not far into the Red Keep, the lords of the Reach commanded the best rooms and so they had received, the amount of men they had brought had more than made up for it. Tyler was half carried into a gigantic room with four hearths, two long tables with dinners and deserts a small space for dancing and tables and chairs on the outside, there were singers and musicians at the far end of the room and laughter and shouting came storming at him when they opened the doors. The atmosphere killed his fury instantly, as the door opened all noise save the music ceased and the Knight of the Flowers rose instantly garbed in bright green and light brown clothes, he wore an extravagant silver necklace and an emerald studded, golden ring. He approached Tyler hastily and grinned widely as he did.

"You must be the famous Ser Snowblade of the north that everyone is raving about in this city. I am Loras of House Tyrell, this is my brother Garlan, you know Renly of course and I see you have met Margaery and our cousins, and this is Garlan's wife Leonette and this is Jon Fossoway a good friend of mine." Loras finished politely.

Tyler almost choked on his words. "He doesn't talk I don't think, I've heard he talks with his sword. He had a good conversation with eight wildlings protecting the two youngest Stark boys in the Wolfswood." Margaery said convinced it was the truth.

Tyler couldn't stand people exaggerating his accomplishments. "It was five wildlings and it was only one of the boys and he got captured while I was fighting."

Loras laughed. "We knew that Ser Tyler. Then Lord Robb Stark came to your aid and the two of you tracked the kidnappers and slayed them. Tell me true, is Robb Stark a good swordsman, I have heard mixed accounts."

"You don't plan on harming him do you?" Tyler asked warily.

"We aren't from the west Tyler, we aren't as cruel as the Lannisters, I was merely curious." Loras answered thinking he was being nice.

Tyler chuckled inwardly and said. "Well I have only sparred with him one time and I defeated him but he was a difficult opponent to best."

"Aye, they are all difficult when they are holding a sword but none of them will ever beat you or I, will they?" Loras said with a grin.

"How do you mean?" Tyler said curiously.

"Think about it Tyler, I am from the South, you are from the North. I am sixteen and you are sixteen and we both have become famous purely because of our skill with the sword." Loras said happily as he drank down some wine.

Renly chuckled. "Tyler is not so lucky to be born so high as you though Loras, and he earned his place with the Stark's through love, respect and trust, not because he knows how to swing a sword. Sit down Tyler, relax, eat, and drink _please_." He said gesturing to the chair opposite him.

Tyler sat down and Margaery came up to him and knelt by his side, she put her hands on his thighs gently and began softly kneading his wound. Tyler almost moaned with pleasure at the immense feeling of relief her massage gave him.

One of Margaery's companions brought him a plate full of food and Loras handed him a mug of ale. Tyler felt as if he was in paradise as Margaery began kneading harder and harder into his thigh.

"This should have been done long ago Ser Tyler, there are knots of tense muscles all through your thigh." Margaery said sternly. "And the cold in Winterfell will do it no good." She tutted

"It is a damn sight better than losing the whole leg and it was a small price to pay for Rickon's life." He said casually.

"We also heard about your rescue of Robb and capturing of the Mountain, as has the entire city apparently, it is all we heard when we walked the streets today. I was very impressed I must say." Garlan said, speaking up for the first time.

"Aye, you clearly have a mind for tactics, _and_ a formidable fighter, a most valuable addition to anyone in times such as these." Renly added hinting at something. "I wondered if you might ride with us when we go to the riverlands; serve as an advisor and companion to me in battle. You are wasted carrying water for Lord Stark as he sits in his tower, anybody can do that."

Ned had announced in court the previous day that the Reach and the Stormlands would combine armies and counterattack Tywin's forces that were raiding the riverlands. With Robb's forces pushing Kevan and Stafford Lannister's remaining men up the Gold Road the entirety of the Lannister army would be pushed back to Casterly Rock and easier to keep under control. The war would end for certain it was just a matter now of minimising bloodshed. Tyler was hesitant about Renly's proposal, something seemed fishy but he could not place it, then he remembered about Stannis wanting to fight Jaime, he now had no purpose in the capital and decided that perhaps this would be the best course for him. Leaving Sansa would be tough of course but they were not married, he had no obligations there. "You'll have to get permission from Lord Stark of course but I don't see why not, I can represent his house on the battlefield for him."

Garlan smiled. "A fine idea, you are a clever lad Tyler."

"That he is, I look forward to fighting with you Tyler." Loras said with his most charming smile, reaching out to grip his wrist in the warriors shake.

Tyler clasped his wrist and Loras laughed. "Now _drink._" Loras said, almost begging.

"That I can do." Tyler said throwing his mug back and gradually emptying the ale down his throat. He felt at complete ease when he finally gulped it all down and a large smile stretched across his face. Margaery let go of his thigh and grabbed his hand pulling him to his feet as the musicians started playing a lively song. She pulled him close and the two of them began trying to dance and drink at the same time as the others returned to their revelries. Tyler's leg was feeling almost good as new, so he put down his refilled mug and picked Margaery up, he began dancing the way he had been trained when he was much younger and Margaery was squealing with delight as he spun her around and led through a wild and tiring dance routine. She was giggling and panting when they finished and he sat down to rest his aching leg once again, Margaery sat next to his and rested her head on his shoulder. Tyler picked up his mug and downed the remainder.

He awoke in a strangely familiar room, but the dry and stale taste in his mouth and the feeling of a stampede of cattle in his head had rendered him practically stupid and he struggled to lift his head off of the bed. His arms were completely limp and he tried to move them, his legs had a little feeling but he was so tired he couldn't imagine moving. He heard the door open and painfully turned his head to see who had entered his room. _This is not my room, where the fuck am I?_

He saw Arya walk in through the door and she laughed when she saw him looking at her. "Good morning, you drunken degenerate." She said sweetly.

"Good morning, you wild animal." He grumbled, turning back around. "Am I in your room?"

"Yep." She said with a chuckle.

"Because...?" He prompted.

"You came in here late and said you couldn't be fuc... bothered to go to your own. Then you fell on the bed. I tried slapping, pinching, punching and kicking but you were out cold. I had to spin you around so we could sleep head to foot." She said, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Your father know?" Tyler asked nervously.

"Why do you care? You can get drunk if you want." She said confused.

"Very true Arya, please tell me there is a gigantic cooked breakfast for me somewhere outside this room." He begged.

"There is actually, father is in the dining area having some now." She said distantly as she began rifling through some of her belongings.

"Well thank you for the bed my lady." He said with a bow.

"I told you not to call me a bloody lady!" She said, slapping at his arm.

Tyler rolled off of the bed and used the momentum to move into a forward roll, dodging her slap and to his feet. She tried chasing him but he sped out the door and closed it behind him, she was yelling some nonsense from behind the door as he limped to the dining area.

Ned was near finished when Tyler got there and he was rising to leave when he saw him. "Morning Tyler, you don't look so good?" He said seeming worried, then realisation dawned and he grinned mischievously. "You have another drinking challenge with Bronn?"

"Loras Tyrell invited me to drink with their lot and Renly." He said, looking at the floor

"Now that would be a duel I would like to see." He said, sitting back down.

Tyler sat opposite him. "I certainly wouldn't. I like living."

"There is something I need to ask you." He said seriously.

"Anything Ned, you know that."

"Robb sent a raven. Tyrion Lannister was captured on the battlefield." Ned said with an awkward look on his face.

"I may not be the smartest man in the world but I believe that was a statement. Tyler said tensely.

"Robb thought it best that you decide what is to be done with him."

"Why me? I am just a soldier." Tyler said, trying to remain straight-faced. _If I show him I care for Tyrion he may doubt my loyalties, an argument I'd prefer to avoid_, Tyler thought to himself.

"You do not have to hide your emotions Tyler, Tyrion is your brother and he has done no serious harm to us personally, in fact he gave Bran the plans for his saddle so that works in his favour. We could try ransom him or use him to bend Tywin to our will but he told Robb and I quote, _'He would rather let me die.' _If I give him to Stannis to do with as he pleases we both know where that will end up going. So I command you to decide what to do with him, Robb is waiting for you at camp, after that I would like you to join the war and try to speed up it's progress, however you can" He finished half sternly and half pleadingly.

_Perfect, I won't even have to tell him_. "It's about time. What do you think of Stannis fighting Jaime?"

Ned grimaced. "If the gods are good they will give him the skill, but without their help I think he is doomed."

"I thought the same." He said. An awkward silence began. _Gods I hate those._

Tyler stood sharply. "Well, no time to waste then."

"Good luck Tyler, and _please_ come back alive." Ned said, rising swiftly and pulling Tyler into a hug.

"Goodbye father." He said. _WHAT!? Did I seriously just say that?_ His face went bright red and Ned coughed slightly. _You did not hear that, you did not hear that_, he almost prayed.

Before Ned could answer Tyler sped out of the room and found Vayon Poole and organised to have all the items he needed packed onto his horse and ready to leave in fifteen minutes. _Where is she?_ He thought as he left the steward and went off in search of Sansa.

He found her in her room sewing something together, she attempted to hide it when he came in and he laughed. "Are you making something for me?"

"No." She said defensively, jumping to her feet and leaping into his arms.

He caught her easily and lifted her high, she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him tenderly. He set her down and slipped his fingers through hers and led her to the bed, he sat down and she sat on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Tyler?" She said

"Yes my love?"

"Do you really love me?" She asked quietly.

"Of course Sansa, I would not say it if I did not mean it." He said easily.

"Me and no other?" She asked, a touch of excitement in her voice.

"Absolutely."

She turned her head to face him and their noses rubbed against each other, he quickly pecked her on the lips again and she smiled. "Enough to marry me?"

"Sansa we have discussed this." Tyler said annoyed.

"No, _you discussed it._ I didn't get to say anything." She said, now sounding a bit mad.

He tried to use his most calming voice when he spoke. "You are a true beauty and at ripe age to be wed, your father or your brother may want you to marry someone to secure an alliance, they already have my allegiance."

"Father would never force me to marry someone if I begged him, mother too. And Robb will do what father tells him, he always has." She added with a smirk.

"Can we please wait until things are settled and we are back at home in Winterfell? Please, war time is no time for such matters." Tyler said, _I am supposed to be leaving, Poole will become curious._

"Okay Tyler, I can wait that long. We will be married, I will make sure of it." She said with a big grin.

"Nothing would make me happier." Tyler said kissing her deeply this time. "I am sorry to have to bring bad news."

"Oh no what has happened? Is it Robb?" She said, her face the vision of complete worry.

"No nothing so serious. Your father has commanded me to rejoin the war, I ride for the camp immediately." Tyler said gently.

"I understand, it is your duty. But I wish you could stay, it will all seem so dark without you around." She commented sadly.

"Knowing that you love me will keep me strong. I would like to here you say it, just once." He said with a grin.

"I love you, I love you, I love you." She said wrapping her arms around his waist and gripping him tightly and burying her head in his chest.

Tyler lifted her off of his knee and stood, he sat her back down and knelt in front of her, his bad leg searing with pain, he ignored it. "I love you also Sansa Stark and I promise you I will return to you, all the men of the west couldn't stop me from seeing you again." He kissed her again and she clung on for a long time before he realised he would have to push her off if he wanted to leave.

"Goodbye my love." She said desperately as he closed the door behind him.

Tyler was about to walk to the flight of stairs once again before he saw Arya standing not far away sniggering to herself.

"'_War time is no time for such matters.' 'I'd like to hear you say it, just once.'_" Arya said in a mocking deep voice. She mimed putting a finger down her throat. "I think I am going to go and vomit somewhere. Excuse me." She said speeding away as Sansa came running out of her room, obviously having overheard what Arya had said and chased her around the corner, yelling at her. Tyler shook his head and chuckled, beginning the long walk to the bottom of the stairs.


	15. Tyrion Finds a Family

_**Hello all, just wanted to mention that I will begin writing chapters from different points of view now, give me the thumbs up or down in reviews as I go along. I hope you enjoy.**_

**TYRION**

His imprisonment had been limited to a set of shackles that only just restricted the difficult time they had getting around already. Only a few days previously he had been looked at and hit like he was the absolute scum of the earth, now Theon Greyjoy sat in his tent with him as they played a drinking dice game he had been taught on one of his numerous trips to the inns of King's Landing. He thought again of Shae and the moment when Robb Stark had led her into the tent that served as Tyrion's prison. Shae had told him that when Tywin was pushed from camp she followed them and stayed in Casterly Rock, she had survived the siege by hiding in the cellar of an armoury. Tyrion had been overjoyed that she had survived and that his captors were considerate enough to let him see her. _It is a strange tactic if they mean to behead me_. And why would they not, he was no use to them. His twisted, cold-hearted, useless excuse for a father had not even bothered to send Tyrion's weight in gold to free him, he had told them that they could kill him. Tyrion had been surprised that he was surprised, it had made for a very awkward conversation when Robb came in and explained what his father had said. He was a waste of space now, a useless dwarf allied with the enemy. He had already tried asking Theon what was going to happen to him but the Greyjoy lad kept his focus on the dice and the ale that was making him sway in his seat.

"Another double, that's two drinks for you and as I have won twice in a row you can have two more please." Tyrion slurred as Theon took light sips from his mug. "Drinks! Not sips, I had heard that ironmen had stronger bellies than this."

Theon downed the rest of his mug and chuckled. "And I have heard that blonde little dwarves use loaded dice."

Tyrion feigned shock. "You wound me dear Theon."

Theon laughed and picked up the dice, praying to the old gods before scattering them on the table in front of him. "Fuck!" He cursed as he received double sixes.

"A full mug, come on lets see it." Tyrion said hurrying the lad. _He will never finish it_.

Theon poured it full to the brim and began drinking it down, he reached three quarters of the way before it came shooting back out in a blast of watery sick. Tyrion cackled with laughter as Theon rushed towards the tent flap holding his mouth.

That was the moment that Lord Robb Stark chose to enter his tent closely followed by a tall blonde knight that Tyrion instantly recognised as his charming half-brother. Tyler was sniggering instantly as Theon rushed passed them red-faced and embarrassed.

"Can't handle it Theon?" Robb called after him as he ran to vomit in the bushes.

Tyrion smirked as the commander of the army of the realm sat himself opposite him, Robb looked into his eyes with a deep curiosity and never blinked or moved them. Tyrion tried to hold his gaze but noticed Tyler move from behind Robb Stark and kneel next to Tyrion's seat. He heard a key turning and felt the heavy iron shackles fall from his feet and heard the clank as it hit the floor. Tyrion smiled.

"Ser Tyler and I have come to an arrangement to avoid you being killed needlessly." Robb said slowly.

_Why must they see fit to pause every fucking time_? "Well? Is it some sort of guessing game?"

Tyler's voice was deeper than it had been at Winterfell and the confidence in his voice reminded Tyrion far too much of his father. "You are my brother Tyrion, and I believe that you are a good man caught in a family of greedy, power hungry animals. I have made a life for myself away from the cruel eye of Lord Tywin Lannister. Lord Robb and Lord Eddard Stark have both agreed that my service in this war warrants land and a lordship, I will use this opportunity to employ you as my advisor when I come into my lands, should you choose to accept."

Tyrion was sure that the only other path available to him was the Night's Watch, the headsman's block or a very unsuccessful escape attempt. _He _is _my brother, he seems to care more for me than any of the others ever did, save Jaime perhaps._ That thought brought further thoughts of his elder brother, Jaime was a dutiful man to his father but deep down he had a good heart and a better soul. He had been corrupted, as Cersei had, by their father; but there was still hope for him.

"I will require pen and paper." Tyrion said simply, sitting forward in his chair.

Robb rose and pulled down an empty parchment book from the shelf in the corner and Tyrion pulled the inkpot towards him.

Robb came and stood close, right over his shoulder, Tyrion looked back at him amused, Robb opened his mouth to explain but Tyrion held a finger up. "I understand entirely."

The first letter he wrote to his sister, Cersei had never been kind to him but she was dying much earlier than she should and Tyrion took the opportunity to offer his pity and love. The second letter he wrote to Lord Tywin, he detailed the many things he wished he could do to him if he ever came across him again and cursed him to failure in the battle, calling upon the Seven to strike him down. The third letter he left unsigned but wrote to his brother Jaime.

_Dear Jaime,_

_I want you to know that I will forever be sorry that my presence in this world came at the cost of our mother's life but it is for the love you claim that you bear me that I hope you read these words. I had heard that you were to fight Lord Stannis in a trial for your life so I saw no need to send this to King's Landing as you will be returning home innocent in no time I am sure. Father is insatiable, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants and he will sacrifice anything along the way. Although I suppose I would be as inconsequential of a loss to him as his horse would be nevertheless our dear father told Lord Robb to kill me when he was asked for ransom. I feel as if I am no longer welcome in the family when two out of three would rather see me dead than alive. I hope that you will read these words and know the truth and see the truth and get away from the truth as fast as you can. Find a truth of your own Jaime. Father is just a man._

Robb sighed when he read it and went back to his seat. "How and where do you wish these delivered?"

Tyrion was a bit too emotional to talk but he tried to get the words out anyway. "The letter to my father and sister can be sent however you like but I would like rider to take this letter to Jaime to a servant in Casterly Rock named Bella to give him when he arrives, tell her I sent them and it should be no problem, she's a good lass."

Tyler gave a sharp whistle and a gruff looking soldier with medium length dark hair and blue eyes rushed through the flap. "Brother, this is Bronn, a sellsword in my service, he will escort you to Riverrun where you will remain under the guard of Lady Catelyn. I will travel with you shortly, I have business in camp first off however."

"Under guard? I thought I had swapped sides already?" Tyrion said, confused.

"It would be a foolish mistake to trust a man so quickly." Robb said simply. "You will remain under watchful eye for some time before we will have any trust for you."

"If it please you, I would like to get going straight away little lord." Bronn said.

"It does not please me." Tyrion said, amused.

Tyler smiled. "You are not in a position to make demands Tyrion."

"Not a demand, a proposition." Tyrion said, spreading his hands innocently.

Tyler was about to speak but Robb interrupted. "I want to hear this."

_I am sorry Jaime_. "I could help you against my father, I know his mind. I know his strategies and I know the minds and personalities of all his commanders. I also have extensive knowledge of strategy and battle tactics, I received an extremely broad education." Tyrion said quietly.

"We have Tyler for that already." Robb said looking at Ser Snowblade proudly.

"Tyler does not know father as well as he seems to think." Tyrion pointed out.

"You have no idea what I do and do not know." Tyler snapped. "And no Robb you do not have me for that, I am joining up with Renly and Mace Tyrell in the riverlands, your father wants one of his men on their war council."

Tyrion smiled and looked deep into Robb's startled eyes. "So do we have a deal?"

Robb looked troubled, he looked up at Tyler. "I trust him Robb, I really do."

"Very well, you may serve as one of my advisors but you will not sit on the council, some of the lords have already lost children to this war and I will not insult them by seating the enemy at our table. At least that is how they will see it." Robb said dismayed.

"I completely understand Robb, I will stay confined to the tent if that serves your purpose better." Tyrion offered graciously.

"Indeed it would, no shackles will be necessary however." Robb said with a smile.

"I would also very much like if Shae could stay in here with me also." Tyrion almost begged.

"I can imagine why." Tyler said with a chuckle, Robb laughed also.

"Granted." Robb said. _Thank the Father_.

They both stood then. "We will leave you now Tyrion and go get some grub, have a good night and don't break her back." Tyler said with a cheeky smile. "Bronn, go get his woman for him, then you are dismissed for the night." He exited the tent flap with Robb behind him.

"Good night dear brother." Tyrion called after him.

Tyler walked back through the flap and Tyrion stood and walked to him, Tyler went to one knee and the two men embraced roughly, Tyrion clung to him and felt tears well up in his eyes and heard Tyler struggling not to cry also. Tyrion patted his back.

"Thank you brother." Tyrion whispered to him.

Tyler got up and rubbed his eyes as he left.

Tyrion was lying on his front as Shae kneaded her hand into his shoulders and lower back, Bronn sat opposite him on the floor on a cushion swigging back ale and throwing his knife into the wooden floor of the tent between his legs. A comfortable silence had just followed after the three of them had each told their most embarrassing sex story. Tyrion had played all kinds of drinking games with them since Bronn had returned and stayed when Tyrion offered him wine. He had almost lost a finger in the Braavosi knife game, he had nearly gone the way of Theon in the drinking dice game, he had burned a chuck of hairs off of his arm in the burning pain game with candles. He had been trying to think of new games to play but was so far coming up with ones that the other two found boring.

"What about I have never?" Tyrion asked excitedly, his words slurring badly.

"What is that game?" Shae asked confusedly.

"We each say something that we have never done in our lives before and if you have done it, you have to drink." Bronn said flatly.

"You don't like it?" Tyrion asked surprised.

"No, I like it, it's just all the lads play round the fire on the march." Bronn said.

"Well the lady has never played it so perhaps you and I should drink to start the game." Tyrion said raising his mug.

Bronn grinned widely. "A fine idea." Their mugs clinked together and the boys both raced to finish their mug, Bronn only just beat him as he did every time so far that night but Tyrion was determined.

"Is your throat as wide as a doorway or something?" Tyrion said as he struggled to swallow the last of it down.

"I don't have a dwarf throat." He said plainly.

Shae giggled and Tyrion shot a glare at her. "Well, my turn." Tyrion put his hand on one chin as he thought. "I have never killed a man with a ranged weapon."

They both drank and Tyrion looked at her amazedly. "I do not want to talk about it."

"But it is the fun part of the game talking about the times that you did do it." Tyrion pointed out loudly.

"Too many times, Bronn's turn." She said sitting back and folding her arms

Bronn laughed. "I never read more than three books in my life."

_He is getting me back, this means war._ Tyrion thought as he drank down a large portion of his ale and watched Shae do it also.

"You don't want to ask me about books?" She teased.

"No, but it is your turn." He pointed out cheekily.

"Ok. I have never..." She started before looking up with a look of wonder in her eyes. Tyler came strolling back in fully armoured in plate and mail of silver, white, and black on his chest was the emblem of his house, his insignia. A white longsword with a silver outline sticking out of a pile of white snow with a silver outline with a black and dark grey background split down the middle vertically. His cloak was black and only bore the white sword in the snow on the back. He wore no helm but his hair was noticeably longer than it had been in Winterfell and he did not cut it, his fringe was pushed back as Jaime had so often done and Tyler looked every inch his brother had looked when he was sixteen.

"I came to collect Bronn as I've decided to march tonight but I see that would a cruel and unusual punishment right now. Never fear Bronn you may follow in the morning, Renly has almost one hundred thousand men I doubt he will miss one in the midst of that" Tyler said with a grin. He noticed Shae staring at him.

"Why is she looking at me like that?" He asked innocently. Bronn and Tyrion both howled with laughter. Shae blushed and looked down

"Because you look like a god brother." Tyrion said as he finished laughing.

Tyler blushed and looked at her. "Thank you my lady." He said bowing his head. "You are quite stunning yourself."

"Thank you Ser Tyler." She said, trying not to meet his eyes.

Tyrion scowled. "Weren't you going somewhere?"

"I shan't take your woman brother." Tyler laughed. "Yes I am going to the riverlands. But I have your first task as my new advisor. When I come into my lands I will need a name for my castle and quite soon. Your job is to make me a list."

_Great! This will not be easy_. "Very well ser, I shall do my absolute best."

Tyler chuckled. "Robb will show you where the lands will be and provide you with an explanation of the surrounding areas. Pick something good." He said. He turned to leave but Tyrion heard a chuckle and he spun round and walked to where Shae sat and kissed her hand before speeding out of the tent laughing.

Tyrion turned to Shae who was blushing furiously.

Bronn laughed his head off.


	16. Tyler and His New Squire

_**Just another quick one from Tyler and there will be more from the others I promise**_

**TYLER**

Someone had attempted to stab his heart through the gap in his armour at the armpit but the thrust must have been misplaced as it had only caused a gash in his armpit and shoulder blade. Nevertheless the screams of his pain filled Tyler's ears as he and Loras dragged him back behind the lines and propped him against a tree. Garlan Tyrell began struggling when he saw a soldier bring the hot poker that Tyler had shouted for. Garlan was strong but together Tyler and Loras succeeded in holding enough of him down to singe the wound and speed its closing up. Loras whispered to his brother to be strong all the while. Loras began unravelling some cloth to use as a bandage but Tyler grabbed his scruff and dragged him off of his brother.

"The battle is still undecided. The men will fight better if they can see you in the thick of it! GO!" Tyler yelled at the angry looking boy. Loras was covered in blood and it made him seem much more like the warrior of his reputation than he had back at the capital. Tyler had fought beside him against Tywin in four different battles already and each one became harder and harder. When they arrived in the riverlands Tywin had already had plenty of time to place his forces in strategically placed positions and Renly's host was often fighting its way out of an ambush. In three of those four battles Tyler had lead charges that made the difference and Ser Loras had done the other now Loras would have another to add to his belt as there was no way they could overcome the enemy that had surrounded them on almost all sides.

Tyler washed away the dried blood from Garlan's wound and instantly dried it with the cloth that Loras had. Tyler ripped the bottom of his cloak and pinched Garlan's gash together before securing the ripped cloth and tightening it over the wound. Garlan grunted and cursed all the while and Tyler merely chuckled as he spat curses at him. These knights of the reach were not as hearty as they would have the rest of the realm believe and now Tyler had seen it firsthand. He in part regretted coming here but for all the Tyrell's uselessness when it came to strategy and their pigheadedness when it came to taking advice they were not the Starks and Tyler felt as though he needed a break from his masters. All in all he missed Jon though, Jon was the reason he became involved with the Starks in the first place and now it felt as though he had seen all of them more than he had seen him. They had caught up when Tyler had left Tyrion the first time back at the other camp and Jon had talked of all the things he had been doing, he seemed like a man living in a dream, he and Ghost had earned a big reputation in the camp fighting alongside Robb and Grey Wind. The Wolf Brothers were becoming a famous fighting duo told of throughout the realm and it made Tyler chuckle every time he thought of it. He often wondered how Lady Catelyn felt sitting in Riverrun hearing of her son bonding on the battlefield with his bastard brother.

Tyler suddenly heard war horns that did not sound all that close, he scanned the battle in front of him and began limping towards the men fighting but saw no retreat or no new development in either side's strategies. He saw some of the men look up when the horn blasted again and Tyler looked to his left to see Ghost bundling out of the tree line next to them and absolutely pummelling into a Lannister on his horse tackling him to the ground and tearing out his throat for giving a triumphant howl that chilled the blood of near everyone present. Next came the riders with Jon Snow at the head, men came streaming out in packs and they plummeted into the side of the Lannisters lines and Tyler saw Tywin signal retreat from behind his army and the westerlands men ran away. Loras Tyrell took a large portion of men and stole riderless horses and gave pursuit to the fleeing men.

"JON!" Tyler called.

Ghost found him first, he had been dispatching wounded Lannisters when Tyler shouted and recognising his voice the large direwolf bounded into sprint and tackled Tyler to the floor, Ghost rubbed his head into Tyler's neck and tried licking his face. Tyler pushed himself away to avoid the half blood half slobber present that Ghost was trying to give him. Jon was half sprinting to where he stood and the two boys hugged tightly. All the men who had sat down to rest cheered when they saw it and Tyler held Jon's hand up high for everyone to see.

"Robb sent his best man to save us!" Tyler screamed. "JON SNOW!"

"JON SNOW! JON SNOW! JON SNOW!" The men all chanted rhythmically.

Jon grinned widely and waved to the men. Ghost sat at his feet and howled loudly with the men. As it died down Jon grabbed Tyler's shoulder. "Let's talk."

"Too good for the men now are you?" Tyler teased. "Come help clear the dead and when the men are released. Then we can talk till your ears fall off."

Jon chuckled and they walked towards the battleground.

"How long is the march to the next village?" Jon asked as they sat down in his tent back at the camp a few hours later, dusk had already begun to settle and Tyler had been provided with food and drink. Jon decided he would share his quarters and leave his command tent for the men who helped the most during the clean up of the battleground. They had both just washed and finished with the rest of the chores for the day. As they sat they breathed out to express their exhausted state.

"Should only be a quarter of a day really. Renly will find a way to make it longer however. He always does." Tyler said sipping the wine in front of him.

"Yes we have already heard of Renly and his time wasting back at Robb's camp. You should hear some of the jokes they tell Tyler, absolutely hilarious." Jon said with a chuckle. "They talk about you there too; they say Renly and Mace would be long dead already if it weren't for you and Loras."

"I hate to blow my own trumpet, but I am afraid they are right. Either me or Loras has had to fight like a madman each battle to inspire the troops to clear enough space for us to flee." Tyler said tiredly. "You'd think they would do it naturally if they knew they'd die if they didn't. I am not embarrassed to tell you Jon that you showed up at the right moment. I had almost had my fill of this damned army."

"Why is that?" Jon asked.

"Renly brought me as an advisor for battle strategy and as a hero of the war who would inspire his men." Tyler said amused. "But because I only brought a handful of sellswords with me and the Tyrell's have soldiers galore I am overruled almost every time in the war council. I have even stopped bothering to go now. The Tyrell's were not happy that I was making better decisions than them so they began some petty game to try and win Renly's favour. I do not play games in the midst of a war unless it is at night with a mug of ale in my hand."

Jon chuckled. "A wise choice, on that subject Tyrion sends his regards, asks if you think the name Snowcock would be suitable for your lands." He said laughing, Tyler burst out laughing also.

"He is right though, the shape of the land that Robb gave me looks strangely like a penis with balls. Did you see it?" Tyler asked between chuckles.

"No, but I'll take your word for it thank you very much." Jon said. "Oh shit I almost forgot! You can come in!" He called outside.

Tyler's tent flap opened and he saw a wide-shouldered, dark-haired boy roughly of an age with him and with a strong and silent look to him. His eyes were fixed to the floor and his strong arms were behind his back politely. It was clear that the boy was low-born. Then something hit him.

"Who are you?" He asked sternly.

"Gendry m'lord, Gendry Waters, I was a smith's apprentice in the city..." He began choking on his words.

"Father says that this is your new squire." Jon said leaning back smiling.

"Explain to me why he is the spitting image of a slightly younger Renly." Tyler said, his temper rising.

"Calm yourself brother, nothing malicious here I swear it. Tell Tyler what my father told you Gendry." Jon said casually.

"Lord Regent Eddard Stark told me that I was the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon the first of his name. He asked if I wanted to be a king or a knight or dead and said there were no other options so I said knight." Gendry said quietly and with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Why dead?" Tyler asked confused.

"Lord Stannis. Or King Stannis soon, I believe the trial was yesterday no doubt word will reach us of it soon." Jon said, almost excitedly.

"Good words I hope." Tyler said before returning his attention to Gendry Waters. "You _want_ to be my squire?"

"I've heard about you m'lord. It will be interesting as long as I can still smith later on in life." Gendry said determinedly.

"Not an issue." Tyler said with a broad smile. "Welcome to my service, now pour yourself a drink." Gendry sat down next to Jon and poured a full mug of wine. "Your first test is to see the limits of your drinking capabilities and see if we can't improve them. Now bottoms up."

Jon was chuckling as Gendry threw back the mug of wine and struggled to get it all down, some splashing onto the front of his tunic. He finished and gave a long burp and fought for his breath. "Not too bad." Jon commented.

Tyler chuckled. "Aye even better than when I met you."

Jon chuckled and Gendry grinned. "Hey, it's not there too look at Gendry, pour another." Jon said.

"Am I your squire too now?" Gendry joked as he filled his mug again.

Tyler laughed. "May as well be, consider it a package deal, two for the price of one."

"He isn't a knight though." Gendry pointed out, he looked at Jon quickly. "No offence."

"I think we all know here that it is rare for a bastard to be knighted by pompous high lords, unless you're a good little golden boy like Ser Snowblade here." Jon said, patting his shoulder.

Tyler pounced off his seat and wrestled with Jon, they went crashing from the couch and Tyler ended up on top of him, he threw playfully weighted punches into his ribs and arms and Jon laughed as he squirmed and struggled under him.

A man outside the tent cleared his throat. "Ser Tyler, Lord Renly commands your present in the command tent right away. Is Commander Snow in there with you also?"

Jon laughed. "Aye, and my name is Jon not commander."

"Lord Renly requests your presence also Jon Snow." The squire said dutifully.

Tyler stood. "Notice how he demands me presence and requests yours?"

Jon chuckled. "He likes me better, just please remain calm while we are in there."

"I can do that." Tyler said grudgingly.

The command tent was filled with gifts and luxuries, it looked more like a small ball room for a masquerade or some other type of celebration. Renly stood by his chair at the head of a table and everyone around it clamoured to be heard by him and Renly stood frustrated and on edge. Tyler could see it in his clenched fists and his angry eyes.

"Excuse me." Tyler said loudly, but no one heard him over the rabble.

He saw that Gendry had a hammer at his belt and he chuckled to Jon. He indicated to Gendry and whispered in his ear quickly. Gendry pulled the hammer out raised it high and smashed it against the top of the solid wooden table. Silence followed instantly and Tyler smiled.

"Thank you, I was finding it slightly hard to hear." Tyler sat down at the end seat of the table and Jon and Gendry stood either side of him.

"Is there a reason for your interruption?" Garlan asked annoyed.

"Aye, I wanted to let Renly know I was here as he sent for me and Jon and I thought it better that we each speak to the poor man one at a time, unless you prefer getting absolutely nothing done whatsoever in which case please all of you speak in unison again it is most entertaining." He said bitterly.

"Thank you for coming Ser Tyler." Renly began slowly. "I know the previous weeks have been difficult for you in terms of war councils but this does not concern the war. I know that you think you could be doing better with this army but in me and Lord Tyrell's absence I am going to appoint his son Garlan to command the army until I return."

"You are leaving?" Tyler asked suddenly.

"I would've thought everyone in camp knew by now." Renly said chuckling. "Stannis has been destroyed in single combat by the Kingslayer. Jaime Lannister has been declared innocent by the gods. The High Septon discovered poison on Stannis' blade, he tried to win through treachery and deceit. The realm has made an enemy out of him and has begun talking about their new King." He said, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"I see." Jon said simply, thinking deeply to himself.

"I wish you safe travel my lord." Tyler said, rising instantly and turning to leave.

"You will not protest?" Renly called out after him.

"If Garlan does not ride us to our death I will not protest." Tyler said casually before leaving the command tent.

As he strode out into the afternoon sun he was caked by warm light and his blood felt like it was being recharged. Jon and Gendry hurried out to follow him and Tyler chuckled when he saw them.

"See, a complete waste of time even going." He complained. "This isn't an army it's pack of idiots whose bark is too big for their bite. Come on, let's go get drunk."

Tyler lead the two boys back to the tent and they managed to relax once again. Gendry poured all three of them wine and sat down to play with Ghost. Jon took out his sword and began running a whetstone down the edge gently and smoothly. Tyler sat by a chair by the fire and stoked it up playing with the fire poker. Garlan being raised to command had put him on edge and the other two could obviously see it. It was not as if Tyler wanted the command himself it was just that Garlan had proven to be headstrong and ignorant to dangers, he was not brave; merely stupid. He, like everyone else in this army seemed to do, underestimated Tywin Lannister and if they did not begin to see it they would become too weak and vulnerable to defeat him. Tyler already feared that their numbers had dwindled too low.

"Garlan will ruin us." Tyler said suddenly, and quietly.

"What makes you say that?" Jon asked curiously, Gendry looked up at him with an interested look on his face.

"Garlan will no doubt come up with some foolhardy strategy to tempt Tywin to our flank by placing me there, he has suggested it already. He cares not about the fact that we also have foes behind us and I have been with the rearguard since the beginning, the other men will not know what it is like, Bronn and the sellswords do." Tyler said anxiously.

"What would you propose?" Jon asked seriously.

"That we do what he says, you will be with me. He will want the two of us, he knows that Robb will stop at nothing to rescue us, it will be his hope. Give Loras the north men and let him cover the rear guard." Tyler added instantly. "We will tell Garlan about this plan like I came up with it from his genius idea, we will appeal to his ego and he will no doubt be amiable and take all the credit. We will be on the left flank with Reach men and he will circle around to close on them when they attack us. When we have a large bunch trapped I will position Bronn and the sellswords where they can come from behind and swarm them."

Gendry chuckled, Jon looked at him and grinned back at Tyler. "I think I agree with Gendry."

"It is settled then?" Tyler asked and they both nodded. "You ready for a fight Gendry?"

"I've had a bit of practise with a sword here and there. If a man tries to kill me I'm going to do all in my power to stop him don't worry." He said gruffly, crouching by the fire.

"Good man." Tyler said, grasping his shoulder. "Best get my armour cleaned eh? One of the best jobs of being a squire." Tyler joked.

Jon leaned back in his chair and glared at him "Speaking of which, how did you get that armour?"

"Ned hired Tobho Mott to make it for me when he decided to knight me. Sansa and Ned came up with the sigil, I didn't complain." Tyler said shrugging.

"I worked for Tobho Mott." Gendry said suddenly.

"Did you help make this?" Tyler said as Gendry ran his hand over the armour and inspected the markings.

"No. But I seen him making it himself. He worked like a beaver on this." Gendry looked at Jon. "Mott respected your father, as does the rest of the city, and as do I."

"Thank you Gendry." Jon said gratefully.

Jon suddenly seemed confused. "Did you say Sansa made the sigil?"

"Her and Ned designed it and she made the first one, the one on my cloak." Tyler explained.

"Did she ask to do this?" Jon said with a smile on his face.

"Aye, and Septa Mordane said that she was gifted so I was honoured to let her do that." Tyler said vaguely. _Please gods don't let me give it away_.

He gave Tyler a sly grin. "When I was working for Varys in the capital, before you showed up this is, she would always ask me about you and talk about you. In all the years I have grown up with her she's hardly bothered to say four words to me. And then all of a sudden you come along and she's a chatterbox. Sansa comes home one day in tears, the next day we learn that you've beat Joffrey's pretty face to broken pulp. After that she's as cheerful as a rainbow father said in his messages. Now she feels the need to offer her services in making the sigil that will be used by your house from this time until the end of time." Jon chuckled loudly, He started pointing imaginary dots in the air. "See those dots?" He moved his finger around in the air. "This is them all connecting in my head."

Gendry laughed aloud and Tyler's face fell into his hands.


	17. Jon the Warrior

_**JON**_

_At least the first part of the plan worked_. Jon thought as he swayed away from a soldiers two handed sword. He parried a reverse swing and thrusted his sword forward with all the strength he could muster. He had to plant his foot on the dead body to wrench it out and Jon saw Tyler hurl a knife into the neck of a man who was running to kill him. Jon stood straight as the men behind him hurled forward to meet the attack and looked behind the forces to see Bronn leading the head of the two thousand sellswords sprinting back to the line in retreat. Jon squinted and saw the banner of House Marbrand, this was not the first time Jon had seen this banner on the field and he looked back as Tyler approached him from behind.

"Adam Marbrand." Tyler said, panting as he stopped.

"He's good." Jon said looking at him.

Bronn reached them in a panic. "Riders, too many." He said struggling to breath.

Jon saw Tyler turn around. "EYES TO THE REAR!"

The men at the back of the Reach army saw the riders coming and troops of crossbowmen appeared from further along to help. The sellswords had all arrived back and were forming a line and Jon turned to see Loras Tyrell with half the rear guard running towards them.

But he was not fast enough. The riders were too quick and Adam Marbrand descended onto the thin resistance at the head of a wedge plunging his spear down and skewering a sellsword. The rest of the men stormed in around him and the chaos that ensued was horrific. Tyler ran at the horsemen to try save his sellswords, which left Jon no option, like Gendry next to him he gave out a wordless war cry and hurled himself at the riders in front of him. Half of the riders had crossbows and Jon saw Tyler wielding a stolen shield that had already collected more than enough bolts. Tyler was fighting like a snake, dodging under horses and jumping around striking up when the riders least expected. Jon went for the most isolated and jumped off of a rock tackling the rider to the ground. His helm went crashing off and Jon saw that it was none other than Adam Marbrand.

"The Bastard of Winterfell if I am not mistaken." Adam said with a grunt. "Haven't we crossed swords before?"

Jon nodded lightly.

"How'd that go?" Adam asked curiously.

"I nicked you more than you nicked me." Jon answered simply.

"I'm afraid nicking is all you'll find in this duel my bastard born friend. Lord Tywin wants you alive." Adam said patronisingly.

"Then tell him to come fucking get me!" Jon said drawing his dagger into his left hand and leaping into a twirling overhead slash at Marbrand's throat. He ducked and spun away and twirled his sword in his hands lazily. Jon stepped back and got into the stance that Ser Rodrik had taught him. _A man's stance tells you everything_, he remembered the old knight saying, _how he moves is how he will strike_. Adam was confident, his stance gave him away, but it was all too obvious. It was an act, he wanted to lure Jon into thinking he was stupid and then strike when Jon felt confident. He had already had a close call with a fighter like this back in Robb's camp. He would not get that close to death again. Marbrand stepped forward slightly slowly and gave a half-hearted lunge at Jon, he stepped into it and spun, dodging the blade and elbowing Adam in the face before he could even tense up. He fell to the ground instantly and tried getting back up, Jon kicked him in the head and looked up to see a rider plummet straight into him. He hit the ground just in time to see the crossbowmen of the Reach pile their bolts into the Marbrand rider's horses. Most of the horses died and the men were forced to fight on foot. Jon suddenly felt his heart drop and looked for Tyler, he could not see him standing anywhere. He ran into the middle where Tyler had remained and swung his sword into a soldiers neck from behind. The other warriors turned and saw Jon alone running at them. One laughed as he walked toward him until a sword went sideways through his unprotected head. Jon saw Gendry rip the sword out and slash out at the next man. Loras Tyrell followed him and the men of the rearguard fought their way to the centre. Jon heard a horn suddenly low and loud and saw Adam Marbrand risen behind and blowing for reinforcements. More riders came into sight coming down the hills in the distance and Jon felt a battle fury like no other and ducked under a spear thrust he grabbed the spear and pulled the man toward him, he kneed him in the groin when he got near and sent a backslash ripping through his neck. He brought his sword back around over his head to block an axe but the man was too strong and Jon's sword went right into the gap in his shoulder, he went to the ground and tried to rise but the man put a foot on his chest. Jon thanked the gods when a crossbow bolt took him in the neck and picked up his sword again. The men were beginning to clear as the others came closer and Jon suddenly saw the white sword on Tyler's cloak flapping above the ground not thirty feet away from him. Two crossbow bolts were in him. One in the shoulder blade and the other in his hip, he was still and soundless. Jon broke into run and screamed wildly. The sound of hoof beats drew him out and he turned to see Adam vault onto a fresh horse and lead a second attack. Jon stood himself beside Tyler's body and Adam rode ahead of his men to where Jon stood as they kept Loras and the other soldiers busy.

"Thank you for standing next to him. He won't be dead, not with armour on him. Tywin wants the two of you, so just lay down your sword tell the mongrels to surrender and let us give him what he wants; because he can think of much crueller ways than this. I assure you." He said with a haunted look in his eye.

"You can have me, if you don't take him." Jon said suddenly.

"I'm sorry, orders are orders. No compromise, one of his many rules." Adam said, shrugging and drawing his sword once again.

"Well I suppose we'd better get down to it then, it seems your men are growing impatient." Jon said, slightly bending his knees and assuming his stance once again.

_We are well aware of each others skills_, Jon kept thinking as Adam approached him slowly, sword raised. Marbrand made a sudden move to the right and went for a skewering lunge to Jon's left leg. Jon danced back and slapped his sword away playfully. The sound of retreat came and Jon knew that Garlan had ordered Loras back, he was all alone. He turned around to see Adam's mailed fist flying towards his face, he ducked under it but was not fast enough, the punch clipped the top of his head and he saw a flash of white as he felt himself plummet to the ground, his armour was hard and painful to land on and men all around him seized his limbs. He stopped fighting them when he realised it was hopeless and soon his energy left him and he lapsed into unconsciousness as Marbrand's men dragged him away.

Jon opened his eyes with great difficulty and found that his vision was blurred and his eyes would not stop blinking. A figure was moving above his head but he could still not make it out, he figured they were in a tent somewhere. His vision came back to him after some time and he saw it was silent sister tending to a cut on his skull. Jon suddenly remembered the punch and realised there would be a small bald spot in his hair now. _Fucking Marbrand_. He groaned and tried to rise but the silent sister put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down. He did not fight her and she gave him water and doused his forehead with a damp towel. A man marched over, his boots clinking with the sound of steel.

Jon saw a white haired warrior in expensive armour and that smirk across his face that gave away his identity almost immediately. "You are Jon Snow?" He asked instantly.

Jon nodded slowly. The old man continued. "And you know who I am?"

Jon nodded again and remained silent. "Then you must realise who will be walking through this tent shortly to question you, I implore you to answer them all swiftly and honestly. He will have his answers, one way or another." Kevan Lannister said, turning to leave.

The silent sister finished up with his wound and Jon sat up instantly. "Where is Tyler?" He asked angrily.

Kevan pointed to the opposite corner beside Jon. "He was tended before you but he needs to sleep before he can recover better. Lord Tywin wanted him to have plenty of milk of the poppy before the interrogation."

"So is this what Lord Tywin does, sends you to frighten the prisoners before he makes his big terrifying entrance?" Jon asked with a chuckle. "Is he waiting outside for you to say some sort of code word or something?"

Kevan looked at him harshly. "Don't ever think that you know him, because you haven't a clue." He stormed out swiftly and the silent sisters followed him.

Jon looked straight over towards Tyler and rose from his bed. He stood up too suddenly and his vision went blurry, he stumbled against something on the ground and felt strong arms catch him under his armpits as he fell.

"Easy Jon. Take it easy, you had a concussion." He heard Gendry Waters say to him from behind as he lowered him to the ground.

"Gendry, I am glad you are alive but not happy that you are here. I am sorry." He said, the guilt washing over him. "I should have let you stay at that inn and smith like you wanted to."

"Don't feel bad, I'm glad I'm here, that boy needs a lot more help than he thinks." Gendry said, nodding his head towards Tyler.

"Yes I realised that some time ago." Jon said thinking back to their meeting in Winterfell suddenly.

"When the guards were dragging you two away I called them back and ordered them to take me prisoner with Tyler. I am his squire and it is my duty to remain at his side, he needs someone with him. He's had no love in his life." Gendry said bluntly.

"He told you?" Jon asked, surprised.

"No, I can just... see it." Gendry said sitting beside Tyler and wiping sweat from his brow.

"Do you know his story?" Jon asked.

"Just the famous bits." Gendry said. "That's all anyone knows in the capital I'm afraid."

"Yes, I realised when I was there." Jon said with a laugh. "Tyler is the bastard son of Lord Tywin Lannister, his name was Tyler Hill when he came to Winterfell. Now he has not told me the truth, and I assume it is because he does not know it himself but what he has told me is that Lord Tywin begun to feel lonely after Lord Tyrion killed his wife when she gave birth to him. He began ordering the women he found most attractive to his beds and one of them gave him a bastard son. At the time Lord Tywin had a knight in his employ that he sent to do the most difficult of assault missions, he was a brilliant strategist and a brilliant fighter when he had command of smaller numbers so Tywin sent him on assassinations, rescue missions and so on. He gave his bastard son to this knight and his family to raise and the mother did not ever come back into his life. When Tyler reached thirteen the knight had taught his everything he knew and he joined the Casterly Rock guard garrison at the order of Lord Tywin. For the next three years he struggled to become close to Tyler and teach him the laws of his family at the same time. So Tyler came to Winterfell believing that he was sent to protect the Kingslayer. Jaime Lannister told him that Tywin had ordered him to join the Nights Watch but Tyler had earlier carried my little brother Bran to a healer when he supposedly fell from a tower. My brother Robb offered him the job of Winterfell guard captain beside me and he took it. In that position he saved my little brother Rickon's life from seven wildling bandits and ensured the safety of the witness that saved the realm from royal corruption. He came south to assist in this rebellion saved my brother Robb's life from Ser Gregor Clegane and held that army back there together for thrice the time it would have lasted without him." Jon finished aggressively and emotionally. He took a deep breath and looked at Tyler painfully. "He is the best man and the best friend I have known and I will never betray him on any level."

Gendry suddenly clicked. "What are you trying to tell me?" He said warily.

Jon was about to speak but he heard a commanding voice order the guards aside and stood slowly to his feet. Gendry stood also as Lord Tywin Lannister marched into the room with his helmet under his arm and set it down on Jon's bed, he clicked his fingers and a servant brought in a padded chair from outside for him to sit on. He planted himself comfortably in the chair and held his gaze with Jon's

"Gentlemen." He said in a greeting sort of way.

Gendry bowed his waist and neck slightly. "M'lord."

Jon stood still and held Tyler's father's gaze and felt all the emotions of hatred and anger that Tyler had talked about. "Lord Traitor." He said.

"Traitor?" He asked curiously. "And just who is it you think I have betrayed?"

"The realm, my lord, you betrayed the realm when you attacked and captured my brother Lord Robb Stark." Jon said sternly.

"So your father says." Lord Tywin said slowly. "A man who will kill my daughter based on the word of some dirty lowborn scum from Flea Bottom with an expensive knife. He stole it, and someone wanted to get back at your father for something in the past or present and paid him to kill the boy. It is simple, I did not think that northerners had such vivid imaginations."

"His testimony is not the only one we had. We had plenty more from various sources." Jon said cockily.

"And you trusted the spider?" He asked.

"More than the queen, and certainly more than you." He said.

Tywin leaned forward and backhanded Jon across the mouth. Jon flinched to strike back but Gendry grabbed the back of his armour. Suddenly everything went quiet and Jon heard a groan from the corner.

"Jon." Tyler said in almost delirious pain.

"Tyler?" Jon almost shouted, he flew down to his side and gave him some water, Tyler drank it back thankfully and when he finished his eyes rested on Tywin sat in his seat.

Jon saw that Tyler looked much stronger from the water and his eyes narrowed. "Lord Tywin." He mumbled.

"Son." Tywin said.

"Don't you fucking call me that." Tyler said, his voice half raised.

"I have never been much of a lying man Tyler, you know that." He said simply.

"Did I hear him hit you?" Tyler said, turning to Jon.

Jon nodded and Tyler looked back at Tywin. "Get out."

"I don't think you understand the situation." Tywin said, anger flooding into his voice.

"Get out!" Tyler yelled.

Tywin stood sharply. "Don't you eve..!" He began to shout.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!" Tyler screamed at him furiously as he too rose to his feet.

Tywin kicked the chair aside and stormed out of the tent in a blaze of fury shouting orders to his men.

"Are you okay?" Jon asked as Tyler went to lie back down.

"I highly doubt it." Tyler said clutching his hip wound. "Do you know where Ghost is?"

Jon swore inwardly. "No, I had not thought of that until now." He suddenly felt that dread and that pain of knowing that something bad could have happened to him.

Before they could talk anymore six red-garbed guards marched into the tent and chaos ensued. Jon and Gendry shouted and fought as they hauled Tyler's wounded body off aggressively. Tyler tried to shake free but just got a punch to the head for his efforts. Jon felt himself being hauled off as he saw them dragging Tyler's limp body to the command tent and he lost sight of him as they dragged him a long way through the rows of red tents to a cluster of shoddy wooden cells held together by rope and steel corner fasteners. The put Jon in chains around his hands and feet and threw him onto the straw and mud covered ground. There was a near full chamber pot in the corner Jon sighed before chuckling to himself. _Well done, your first war is going excellently isn't it?_ He had nothing to do but sit and the hours rolled by slowly and painfully, he begun his time by trying to annoy the soldiers around him but after they dragged him out for a beating he decided that wasn't too much of a fun way to pass the time. The guards who strolled around the cells with crossbows and clubs would amuse themselves by shooting bolts into the planks of wood that served as bars. At one point during the day the worse of the two of them managed to get the bolt between the bars and the bolt pummelled right into the prisoner insides hand getting stuck halfway through. The rest of his time he spent worrying about what Tywin was doing to Tyler in that tent or where Gendry was or how Robb and the rest of the family fared, he hoped that he was the only one that Tywin had captured but he couldn't know for sure. The most interesting part of the day came when all the prisoners were falling asleep, the guards were strolling around drinking and chatting and Jon laid down but kept his eyes open. The men stopped beside Jon's sell to sit on a log by a low burning fire and Jon could make out near every word.

"Well it'll be good to be back out on the road, maybe back at Casterly Rock we won't have to do no bloody guard duty." One of them complained.

"Why are we going back there? Is Tywin finally retreating?" The other asked.

"No, he's got important prisoners apparently. And I hear that Renly has agreed the god's have granted Jaime as innocent and he's heading home too. Daddy wants to be there to meet him. How sweet." The man said sarcastically.

The other man chuckled before the first went on. "Did you recognise that blonde prisoner too?"

"I don't think I saw him."

"He's the one that everyone thought was Jaime's bastard a few years ago when he got rewarded for rescuing Lord Tywin from that lion that he bought, you remember, come on, we were in the inn when Daven Lannister was buying him drinks." He insisted.

"Oh yeah right." The other said cheerfully. "Maybe he's telling him that his father's coming home to punish him for being a little traitor."

Jon chuckled to himself. "If only they knew." He whispered.


	18. Eddard Delivers Justice

_**EDDARD**_

The rain lashed and the wind howled. Ned could hear the High Septon's speech as he prattled about the justice of the Seven through his fat cheeks. _The Old Gods brought about this justice while your Seven were being worshipped by Tywin and his lot,_ Ned thought grudgingly, but reason kicked in and he realised he had not done this for the Old Gods. He did this for Robert, to honour his bloodline after he allowed the yellow-haired weasels to contaminate it. Ned had started a war and put his family and the families of all of his people in danger for the honour of House Baratheon and now the new benefactor of that house was pushing him away as if he were a usurper. Ned was over the moon about being pushed out of the Red Keep but something about Renly made his neck hair grow legs of their own. The same thought ran through his mind every time he imagined King Renly Baratheon the first of his name on the Iron Throne. _No good will come of this_. But he had done more for the honour of the realm in the past few months than Robert had done his entire life. The only reason he had pushed so hard was the burning hatred he held for the Lannisters, Cersei and Tywin particularly, and the fact that Robert's final decision as King was to put Ned in charge after he passed away. Ned took that role head on to prove to the realm that Robert was capable of looking after them. There were rumours abound about Ned concocting the whole situation to get his family out of the snow and into the gold but when he stepped aside for Stannis first the rumours floated away. Now Renly had arrived and made his first royal speech to the people at Stannis' funeral. The people loved him but they did not him, neither did Ned really but he was a good reader of men and nothing about Renly made him anything near what a King needed to be. The first tight jam and Renly would either bolt or hide. Now King Renly Baratheon stood tall and doing his best to look grim-faced as the High Septon continued his everlasting speech. Ned looked behind him to where Jory stood stone still holding Ice in its sheath. He turned his head back around and focused on the naked woman strung to the pole in chains on the platform of the Great Sept of Baelor. Her entire body and head had been completely shaved to show the smallfolk who she really was, all over, the practise confused Ned but he did not have final say in it anymore as much as he would have liked.

Cersei Lannister had shown her strength today far better than she had ever shown it when she was actually queen. She had had a chain put around her neck and locking her wrists in front of her and was attached to a horse's saddle as it walked her to the Sept. She had done her very best to ignore the people cursing spitting and throwing random objects, one man had thrown a rock that connected with her eyebrow. By now the blood had dried down her cheek and around the cut but she had bled as she continued up the path. Her strength had very near made Ned feel sorry for her but then he thought of Bran lying in his bed unable to stand even if the need to relieve himself took hold of him. Ned clenched his fist to take away the pain and felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right Lord Stark?" Arianna Martell asked him with her sweet voice.

Ned wiped an embarrassed smile off of his face and chuckled quietly. "I just wish the man would speed this up before my blood is replaced with rain water."

She smiled politely. "I know this cannot be an easy time for you, reminding you of all the bad blood."

"No."

"I understand Jaime Lannister has left the city." She hinted.

"Never fear love, I have made sure that he understands the obligations your family expects of him, he will do his utmost to honour them. I had an extremely long discussion with him. He has many vows to honour." Ned stated plainly.

"Thank you Lord Stark." She said sweetly, she looked as if she were going to speak again but she was interrupted by Cersei Lannister screaming.

"GET THIS OVER WITH!"

The shrill cry shocked the entire gathering but silence followed and Renly signalled to Ser Ilyn Payne. Ser Ilyn grunted and replace the chain noose with a rope one and prepared to strangle her.

Ned raised a hand to Arianna. "Excuse me for just one moment."

He heard Renly beginning to deliver the final words to her and approached Jory who passed Ice to him. Ned caught the sheath in the middle with one hand and turned to approach the platform. It was a fair way into the crowd and been placed so smallfolk could stand on all four sides and the nobles on the steps into the sept. Ned pushed his way to where the guards were holding back the crowd and heard Renly's voice trail off as he ascended the steps onto the platform. Cersei scoffed when she saw him come to stand in front of her.

"Your Grace, I am ever so sorry to cut you speech short but if I may say a few words before the sentence is delivered." Ned said politely.

"It is the least that you have earned Lord Stark." Renly shouted over the rain, stepping back once again.

The rainfall lashed at his face and the wind flicked his hair around all over the place. He brought voice up as loud as it could go and began pacing around the platform. "I am Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, Warden of the North and former Hand of the King and Lord Regent for King Robert Baratheon. Robert was a man that almost anybody here could say they had fond memories of. He was full of life and loved to live it to its full potential. Robert was my friend, he was my brother. Cersei Lannister betrayed her husband, her gods, her realm and the rules of humanity when she chose to bring her incestuous children into the world. I made sure that justice was served to honour my friend and to make sure the Lannisters would never try and turn the realm into a pit of ashes again. I risked the life of my sons and the lives of my men from the get go. This woman caused my son to become crippled for his entire life and near forced me to murder my daughter's pet. I just stood through two hours of what sounded like your High Septon digesting his third luch!" He shouted at the top of his lungs and drew Ice and raised it high as the people around him began cheering and howling. "I beg you King Renly to allow me to serve this justice, I have come so far in this quest, at least let me deliver the final blow."

Renly looked perplexed and Mace Tyrell whispered into his ear. "Your request is granted Lord Stark. As a thank you for your service to our realm."

Ned smiled and looked down to Cersei. "Do you have any final words my lady." He asked politely.

Her face was furious and Ned could not tell if it was rain or tears on her face but She suddenly whispered. "Do not let the children suffer, they are innocents."

Ned knelt beside her. "They will live, how hard they suffer will depend on how they continue to live." He stood back up as he heard Cersei sobbing behind him and planted Ice into the wood and began his speech. "I, Eddard of House Stark, Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell sentence you Cersei of House Lannister to die for your countless crimes against the realm."

Ser Ilyn release the noose from her neck and she fell to her knees. She had no more thoughts of life as she stayed kneeled and jutted her head out. Ned commended her for that.

"Death to the brotherfucker!" He heard people shouting in the back

Ned closed his eyes quickly and opened them, lifted his sword and brought it down smooth and fast.

A few hours later Ned was removing his drenched cloak and handing it to one of the servants. He saw Arya and Sansa sitting at the table arguing over some thing or another and smiled. _One step closer to safety_. He thought gratefully.

Arya noticed him first and ran away from another of Sansa's yells and grabbed him tight. "Oh, your all wet, could've told me." She said, wiping at the patches of damp cloth.

"Good evening sweetheart." He said passing by Sansa and kissing her on the head. "Did you go and see Margaery Tyrell today?"

"Yes father." She said with a grin.

"You're a dead give away you know that." Arya said with a sneer.

"She mustn't be because I don't get it yet." Ned said with a chuckle. "What is she giving away?"

"He's going to find out anyway genius, just spit it out." Arya said with an annoyed tone.

"Arya, stop!" Sansa commanded.

"It's too late love, now I'm curious." Ned said instantly.

Sansa didn't speak for a long time and Ned was about to insist but Arya blurted it out straight away. "Sansa and Tyler have become awfully close father, wouldn't you agree?"

"That's good, Tyler is a good boy and he has treated us extremely well, the two of you should finally start getting close, he has been like a brother to Robb and Jon so why not you as well." He said cheerfully.

"Father." Arya insisted. "Perhaps a brother was not what she was looking for?"

Ned was about to retort but his mind snapped and he realised what the situation was. "Oh."

"It's nothing like that father I swear to the old gods, I swear on Arya's life, we've just been getting to know each other." Sansa said extremely fast.

"Like she cares whether I live or die, very clever Sansa." Arya said quietly.

"You've only been talking?" Ned asked carefully.

Sansa hesitated. "We've kissed and cuddled but I wouldn't do anything else father you know that, I'm not like that."

"He's had to pull her off of him twice that I know of." Arya said straight away.

"Arya! Stop!" She pleaded.

"You love him?" Ned asked

"Yes, and he loves me, he told me so many times. Tyler doesn't lie father, you know that too."

"You loved Joffrey though didn't you?" Ned asked, the sound of his name seemed to make her flinch but she carried on.

"I thought that I did, but I knew absolutely nothing about him father. I know Tyler now, and he knows me."

"Is this why Tyler beat Joffrey, to impress you? To win your favour? Did you ask him too?" Ned said, beginning to sound like an interrogator

"No I swear I didn't ask him too, he did that on his own."

"But why?" Ned asked, he looked at Arya but she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter about that now, it's in the past. Margaery said that Tyler told her how much he loves me when he was drunk at their quarters. He means it, I know he does." Tears came welling up into her eyes and she started sobbing. "And now he is in some cage somewhere, wounded and probably being beaten and tortured the entire time. He said he would come back, I need him to come back. Father, you have to save him, please father, father I don't want him to die, save him, please." She continued in hysterics

Ned pulled her to her feet and sat her on his knee, he held he close and gripped tightly, his throat felt tight and he couldn't get any words out for some time but he pushed her off eventually and stood.

"Tell Poole to pack everything up immediately, we leave at the earliest possible convenience. Jory will pick a handful of guards to take you to Riverrun where you can wait with your mother and your grandfather while I find Robb and end this war. I will get Tyler back Sansa, you have nothing to fear, Arya, don't antagonise your sister. I am going to tell King Renly what's happening. I shall be right back."


	19. Robb's Desperate Attempt

_**ROBB**_

The sound of the men, the wind and even his horse escaped him as he inspected the valley ahead of them from the cover of the tree line. Lord Bolton's spies had confirmed that Tywin would transport his army, and its prisoners, through this route to reach Casterly Rock. Robb had picked his spot carefully and placed the men and picked their officers with even more care. Tyler had risked far more to save him so Robb would do all in his power to get the young bastard and his brother Jon back to safety. He thought back to his most recent conversation with Talisa when he had been forced to tell her what had happened to Jon in the riverlands. No one was sure if the two were intimate but they knew she would care so Robb had approached her and the moment he told her he knew they were intimate, her reaction was stifled with great difficulty and she remained silent until he left. In that moment Robb had envied his half brother. Talisa was a beautiful woman who caught his eye more and more as she made herself more useful around the camp. Jon was completely captured by her and it only made Robb think of his marriage pact. It felt like a betrayal to himself, even through all the talks about his duties as Lord of Winterfell, he always imagined that he would be able to at least pick his own bride even if it was from a smaller selection than he would like. He shook his head as though all the thoughts would fall off of his mind and tried to focus again on the valley in front of him.

"I do not think I need to mention it again but... this is not a good idea." Oberyn Martell said next to him with a smug grin.

Robb bit his bottom lip as he replied. "If all my strategies were based on 'good ideas' then I would be a rather predictable opponent don't you agree?"

Theon chuckled on the other side of him. "There's some sense in that I guess."

"But not enough." The Red Viper said, staring at the side of Robb's head.

Since the moment that Oberyn Martell had arrived to his camp he had done all he could to try and undermine Robb, even when it was unwarranted. It was clear that he had been told to antagonise Robb but he didn't understand why and until he did he would do nothing rash or stupid. "I understand that Tywin will expect a rescue attempt, the question is not based on his knowledge of the attack but the time it takes for him to respond, if everybody does their jobs right then we will win this war and rescue two very important prisoners in the process."

The Red Viper chuckled. "I believe I remember some saying about a cart being before a horse that might apply here."

A man groaned behind them. "Until you come up with a better idea keep your mouth shut and respect your commander, Dornishman." Blackfish grumbled.

"You will address me as Prince Oberyn or you will find yourself with half a spear driving through your chest." He said in a slightly menacing voice.

"I'll believe your bark when I've seen you bite." Blackfish mumbled almost to himself.

Theon began laughing but stopped suddenly and squinted into the distance "Here's Grey Wind and Ghost."

Garlan and his men had rejoined the main army after the massive defeat in the woods where Tyler and Jon were captured. Ghost was wounded on a cart for the entire journey Robb had heard but by the time they arrived he was up and hunting again. _A tough creature, like his master, by the gods Jon you had best be alive_. Robb had formed a bond unlike any he had known with Grey Wind, he found that he could stare into the hound's eyes and he would understand exactly what Robb was thinking. Whether it was a command or a feeling Grey Wind would react accordingly, when Tyler had returned Robb to camp after the rescue from the Mountain Robb had been scared and lonely, he looked into Grey Wind's eyes inside his tent and the wolf had nuzzled him tenderly and laid beside him for the remainder of the night. Robb had felt safe and warm, on the other hand they had formed a good brother in arms kind of bond on the battlefield since then, in every battle that Stafford Lannister and his son Daven had thrown at them Grey wind had protected him furiously and Robb had stayed by his side all the while.

"How far out do you think they are?" Robb said turning around to look at his great-uncle Brynden.

"The hounds would have returned as soon as they caught sight of them. That puts their journey at around three and a half hours. They'll be under two hours away for sure. The paths may slow them down though, my men scouted them earlier." Blackfish said, almost routinely.

"And you are sure Edmure knows the signal?" Robb asked once again.

"He is not a complete fool." Brynden muttered amusingly.

Oberyn sniggered next to him. "I could argue the contrary till the sun blue."

Theon laughed. "He certainly knows the best way to make things difficult."

Robb looked at Theon with an angry glare and Theon throw his gaze to the ground in shame. "Difficult would be an understatement don't you think?" Robb said with a cheeky grin.

"Bastard." Theon said smiling and shaking his head.

"From what I have heard Garlan Tyrell is a match for him." Oberyn said after a pause.

"Tyler would have been able to confirm that for me, if Garlan had not allowed him and my brother to be captured. If ever a man was a match for my Uncle Edmure it is Garlan Tyrell." Robb said harshly.

"He gives the south a bad name. The rearguard is the place for him." The Red Viper hissed.

"Loras is a different story, I don't know about his command skills but he sure is a game changer." Theon said.

"As is Jaime Lannister." Robb commented.

"Now that is a duel I would like to see, slim chance of that though. Renly will get rid of him for sure." Theon said, the others all looked at him shocked. "He killed his brother." Theon insisted.

Oberyn began howling with laughter and Blackfish began chuckling behind them. Robb tried to hide his amused grin. "No he won't Theon. Cersei and Tywin will die Jaime will take Joffrey and the children back to Casterly Rock and he will obey the crown or we will all return with our armies and raze Casterly Rock to the ground."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. If only I was so confident about this plan." Oberyn said blatantly.

"Ser Tyler Snowblade has been more loyal to Lord Robb's family than any loyalty I have read in histories or heard in songs. General Jon Snow is Lord Robb's brother and childhood companion. The Stark's stepped in and defended the honour of the realm when the queen had the King murdered with that little whore. Have some respect." Brynden Tully growled with a raised voice. "Besides, Tyler Snowblade is an extremely valuable man, he is an expert in strategy and reading his enemies. He is the man we need to defeat Tywin Lannister."

"He picked a bad time to get captured." Theon remarked.

"Garlan picked the worst time to allow him to be captured and after today he will suffer the consequences." Robb said darkly.

A man came running from the trees with light feet. "Lord Robb!" He said in a heavy whisper.

"Yes Captain Bronn?" Robb said to the sellsword.

"The old lion's not far out, we should get started soon." Bronn said with urgency.

Robb laughed. "Closer than you thought Uncle." He looked back to Bronn. "Pull your men back to the second position and charge exactly ninety seconds after you see Edmure lead his men out of the trees."

"I remember m'lord." He said, rushing off back through the foliage.

Robb looked to his appointed squire Olyvar Frey. "Go and tell all the generals to prepare the men."  
"And here we go again." Theon said with a chuckle.

Robb looked where he was looking and saw the red cloaks and armour appearing into the valley, they looked alert and suspicious and he hoped that the wolves had not given themselves away. Grey Wind growled beside him and Robb almost chuckled to himself. "Draw swords, quietly." He passed on, the rest of the men whispered to each other and the army slowly and silently unsheathed their weapons.

"And here's the signal." Brynden said throwing his hand up and waving forward. He dismounted from his horse and slid his bow from his back. The archers all moved forward with him with silent steps and drew arrows into their strings. As they reached the tip of the tree line they spread out in even file. They were all wearing black and green so it would be difficult for Tywin's men to spot them at this hour and at that distance. And so they waited, although not for long, to see the back of the army and as it massed into the near centre Blackfish drew the arrow back to his cheek and aimed it up and into the wind. The other archers all followed suit.

Robb waited for twenty more seconds. "Loose!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

And the rest was chaos, the men heard Robb's voice but not the word, they looked around to find the source and failed to notice the arrows flying through the sky at them until it was too late. Men dropped like rainfall, the arrows peppered into the ranks and multitudes went down, as he had expected the arrows that went near the prisoner cages were clumsy misfires. Robb had expressly ordered all men to avoid shooting the prisoners. Tywin's men began storming towards them as they had figured where the arrows must have flown from. But just as the whole army got moving Edmure Tully lead his riverlands men including the large Frey army and a few of the northern lords and their men. Tywin's army became confused and soon it became a pit of panic and despair. Robb could make out Tywin and Kevan rounding up the men on horses like they were cattle and shouting orders to them. The line finally began to form up to meet Edmure's but it was too slow and the attackers piled into the lines with a ferocity that Robb appreciated.

Robb counted for twenty more seconds as he watched the battle going on in the middle of the valley. Bronn charged his men three seconds early but Robb was not that fussy. Tywin's men heard the charge and were momentarily distracted from the riverlands men. Robb saw that Tywin had realised he was doomed and he ordered full retreat into the castle. The men began running.

Robb whooped loudly and excitedly. "Uncle Blackfish, go ahead and fire a few times but no arrows when we hit the line." He said to the craggy-faced old man. "MEN! Let's bring an end to this. CHARGE!"

Robb flicked his reins causing the horse to gallop and felt that sudden relief of realising that the outcome was now out of his hands, he was in the fray now and all he had to do was keep himself alive. Grey Wind and Ghost bounded along growling and snapping on either side of him and Theon was struggling to keep his pace. Robb had only his longsword as a weapon and when they reached the front of the fleeing Lannister soldiers he snaked his sword forward in an expert movement and drew it back swiftly, skewering a man in the neck between his helmet and breastplate. He swung his sword in two vicious arcs and two more red soldiers went down in a spray of red. He galloped ahead and turned around ready to hit the line again. Some of the Lannister soldiers clearly recognised him and three crossbow bolts brought his horse to the ground as it screeched in pain. Robb leaped from the saddle before he hit the ground and rolled to his feet smoothly.

He looked up to see a handful of soldiers approaching him wildly. He got into the fighting stance that Rodrik had taught him and moved back a bit. Suddenly two of the men were down and one was having his arm ripped off while the other was trying to pull Ghost's teeth away from his throat. The rest of the Lannister soldiers reached Robb and he counted around six or eight. Robb ducked under the first swing and drove his sword into the man's belly through his chain-mail armour. He could not pull the sword out swift enough but luckily for him Theon and Sandor Clegane ran to where he was wrenching on the hilt and the Hound let out a savage war cry before knocking a man down with a shoulder charge and killing him with a hit to head with his shield. Theon was smooth and graceful. He spun and ducked and danced away from spears and swords and his parries and ripostes were so swift and deadly that Robb had to wonder where he learned to fight like that. Robb pulled his longsword from the body finally and the three men saw a daunting sight. A massive amount of riders had ridden from the gates of Casterly Rock up ahead and were charging towards the attackers as the fleeing men charged towards the castle.

"Fuck!" Robb said in anger.

"The cages already made it through." Theon said looking at the ground.

"FUCK!" Robb shouted.

"We'll have a siege then?" The Hound asked.

"Aye." Robb said instantly.

"Martell will be relentless with that idea." Theon commented.

"Well Martell can try and complain to his commander then." Robb said laughing aloud.

"Idle chatter on the battlefield?" A voice said from behind them. "You know your brother and the blonde kid were doing the same before we took them."

The Hound turned and chuckled, a man was standing behind them unaccompanied with his sword and shield at the ready. "Ser Adam Marbrand. What the fuck do you want?"

"Good day to you Clegane." Adam said, not even looking at him, he kept his eyes locked tight on Robb. "I want a duel with your lord commander."

"I hear you beat Jon?" Robb said trying to hide his nerves.

"That was the result."

"You think you can defeat me?" Robb asked with fake confidence.

"Only one way to find out." Adam said with a chuckle.

"We could just kill you now, you've no one to help you, they are leaving for the castle. What are the terms of this duel?" Robb asked.

"Well I'm gonna try beat you but keep you alive, Lord Tywin would like to keep you with your bastard brother. If I win, none of your men can stop me in any way as I drag you to the castle. And if you win, I die."

Robb chuckled. "Fairly simple."

Then he leapt forward and their swords clashed together.

A few hours later Robb was sitting in his command tent as Talisa was stitching together all his cuts and scratches. Marbrand had proved a fearsome opponent and their duel had dragged out nearly half an hour but in the end Robb had triumphed and burned his opponent's body away from the main pyre and said a prayer for his soul to the old gods. Marbrand had left him with a dozen cuts and countless scratches and Robb struggled to remain silent as Talisa's sewing needle continued to weave its way through his skin.

"I tried my best." He said, his voice breaking. "I couldn't save him."

"Do not blame yourself m'lord, it was a long shot in any case." She said politely but not meeting his eyes.

"She's right Robb. I doubt anyone could've pulled that off." Theon said from the other side of the tent where he nursed a mug of wine.

"Tyler could have." Robb said suddenly. "Father could have." Tears began falling down his cheeks and he sniffed and tried wiping them away.

"All done Lord Stark. Now if you'll excuse me, the men need me out there." Talisa said leaving swiftly.

"Does she hate me or some such?" Robb asked when she had gone.

"You really don't know how a woman's mind works do you Robb..." Theon said with a chuckle. "Let us not forget, the lords all want a word, if you cannot face them now I can tell them that your cuts are worse than we thought and you need more time."

"That would be great, thank you Theon." Robb said sincerely as his childhood friend pushed his way through the flap leaving Robb sitting alone with his blood and his thoughts all over the place.

Robb felt his presence and saw Grey Wind walk into his tent but something felt different, the hound seemed more relaxed than usual, something had put him at ease and Robb suspected it would have something to do with him also. He stood to leave but heard that ever familiar voice from outside the tent.

"Is it you in there?" He said in a confused tone.

"Of course, please come in." Robb said wiping his eyes furiously and returning to his seat as Grey Wind sat at his feet.

"Well it appears I am just that little bit too late." Lord Eddard Stark said as he opened the flap to Robb's tent.

"It was either do it then or not bother trying." Robb said, his voice stumbling. "I had to try."

"I would have done the same Robb, now stand up." Ned said softly.

Robb stood straight away and stayed still. Ned grabbed him tenderly and tried hugging him so his wounds would not hurt. "Now you can sit." He chuckled.

Robb was about to speak but Ned interrupted him. "Before we begin with all the war talk we need to discuss a few things."

"Go ahead." Robb said instantly. _Good lord, please don't be too bad_.

"You are the leader here, the supreme commander. You have proved time and again that you are worthy. I am simply the under-general of your northern troops. You do not need to look at me for permission or approval when you make a decision, merely for advice. I am not a god, I am not infallible and I am not overly wise. You need to stop thinking of me as the big authority figure. You are a man as I am a man, we were born equal, I was just born before you."

Robb chuckled and let out a big deep breath. His father continued. "That's a step in the right direction. When this war is over we will talk about lords and all that nonsense, for now lets just make sure that the family is safe."

Robb began to speak again but Ned cut in again. "Sorry, but just one more thing. I am so bloody proud of you and everything that you have done since I left Winterfell. You are truly my son. You have become a strong, honourable leader and if ever there was a father as happy with his heir as I am with you then I have not heard about it." Ned grabbed his shoulder tenderly and squeezed it. "You didn't save Tyler and Jon today but that does not mean that you cannot do it. We all know you can, we're just waiting to hear how it will be done."

Robb very near burst out in tears before he hugged his father once again. "Anyway, The most pressing thing I have to ask your advice on is the leadership of the Reach men. Garlan Tyrell proved himself completely incompetent over and over back in the woods and now Jon and Tyler could die because of it. We need someone else but there are no candidates worthy. Loras has refused at least a dozen times."

"Paxter Redwyne and Randyll Tarly are Mace Tyrell's best wartime leaders. Give it to them combined, they work very well together." Ned said almost instantly. "Never fear it takes time to get to know each general and their strengths and weaknesses. I doubt I could do it anymore, most of the ones I learned are dead. I have a question actually."

"Fire away." Robb said, sitting back in his chair.

"Did either you or Jon know anything about Tyler and Sansa becoming intimate?"

Robb almost choked and free air and gave him a quizzical look but Ned just nodded his head. "I had no idea and if Jon did he did a very good job at hiding it. That won't be all bad though, we lose a possible alliance but I think we have made enough allies through this process that it does not matter."  
"So you have been engaging in politics as well?" Ned asked.

"Of course, my mother was a good teacher." He said with a chuckle.

"The more she talks the more you start to believe she is right that's for sure." Ned said and the two of them burst out laughing.

"Don't make me tear my stitches." He stammered out between chuckles. "Have you heard from mother?"

"I received a raven from her when the girls arrived in Riverrun. You will never believe this." He said eagerly.

"Believe what?"

"Apparently on the way down south Tyler had a talk with her about Jon and her feelings about him and his feelings about her and had her damn near convinced to legitimise the boy but she decided to wait until things settled before she made any choice one way or another, then word gets to her that Jon and Tyler had been captured and she realises which choice she wants to make, she promised me that if we got Jon out of there alive that she would like to have him legitimised into the family but to void him of the eldest inheritance that he would be entitled to."

Robb smiled a big smile. _I have been waiting for damn near my entire life._ "Finally, He will be overjoyed."

"I like the optimism." Ned said with a grin


	20. Jaime Arrives Home

_**JAIME**_

The gate guard continued to make that awful clacking sound with his tongue and Jaime was on the verge of an outburst. The entire journey had been an uneasy one. He had been accompanied by Ser Courtnay Penrose and a handful of soldiers. All of Cersei and Jaime's possessions were being sorted out by Barristan Selmy who would bring Joffrey and the other two to Casterly Rock with the carriage. Courtnay and him had developed an amiable relationship on the ride, everyone always wanted to talk about Stannis though. The problem with a reputation is that it continues to grow and grow whether you want it to or not. The name Kingslayer would most likely be with him until he was in the dirt.

The second gate guard came back then in a hurry. "Maester Vyman said that your father and uncle are waiting in the library."

Jaime spurred his horse towards the opening gate and looked down at the first gate guard. "One of these days someone's going to cut your clacker out, find another way to amuse yourself, save everyone the headache."

The other guard laughed aloud as Jaime trotted his horse up the pathway towards the keep. People instantly recognised him as he rode with his head held high. He may be despised in most of the other parts of Westeros but at Casterly Rock or Lannisport he was a hero. Home coming had always been one of his favourite times as of late, it was good to feel respected somewhere. Casterly Rock looked completely different to how Jaime remembered it, the structures were the same but the mood had done a complete turn. Casterly Rock had always felt safe to it's inhabitants and not just because of the solid high walls or the excessive fortifications but because their 'guardian angel' was Lord Tywin Lannister. But the war had obviously made them scared and their trust in their leader was faltering. Jaime had noticed it as he and Courtnay had come closer and closer to the castle, men and women were streaming out with their possessions and making for somewhere that wouldn't be overrun in a few days. Now there were wounded soldiers being carted around the streets and people were building whatever fortifications they could to protect their homes.

His meeting with Robb Stark had been amusing, the boy was a soldier through and through. In Winterfell Jaime had merely seen a young man trying to be like his father but when he had looked into those deep blue eyes in the command tent he had seen something stronger and far more dangerous than he would ever have imagined. The siege was in full swing when he had arrived in the camp and Sandor Clegane had led them to Robb's tent. Jaime had been tempted to steal a sword and make his last stand trying to kill the boy but then he had seen Ned there next to him and his heart dropped. He knew then that he would have to abide the oath he made to the northern warden.

Back at the capital just before Jaime had left Ned came to him and separated him from the children. The two sat in a dark, stinking room with naught but a small table, two chairs and a candle. Ned had food and water brought for him and Jaime had nibbled away sparingly, waiting for judgement.

"You are not hungry?" Ned had asked politely.

"I may well be the best fed prisoner in the history of Westeros." Jaime said with a scoff.

"You are welcome then."

Jaime had been tempted to spit out an insulting retort but instead an awkward silence sat between them as Ned stared calmly and steadily into Jaime's eyes. "Why did you kill the Mad King?"

Jaime had been on the verge of telling him, he stuttered out the beginning but retreated and remained silent for a time. "How is your boy?"

"Which?"

"Brandon? I believe was the name. The one who fell."

Ned snorted. "I have no children who have fallen recently. One was pushed, if you recall correctly."

Jaime's throat tightened up and he almost couldn't answer as the guilt tried to wash over him. "I... He... There was no... I am sorry Lord Stark."

Ned had looked shocked then. "Very well." He stood up and made to leave the room.

"Lord Stark?" Jaime asked before he had time to touch the door. Ned looked back curiously. "Has my sister been executed yet?"  
Ned breathed out then and walked back to the chair and sat down. "Not yet, but don't get your hopes up Jaime, it will happen."

"I know that." Jaime said as his head dropped and his hair fell over his face. "All she did was listen to my father a few too many times when she was younger and now look what has happened."

"This mess has been unfortunate but you have the chance to restore honour and pride to your name. Forget what has happened these past few months, accept your family's fate and make a family of your own, life can still be good Jaime." Ned said. "I know how you feel. When Aerys burned my father and brother alive I wanted to raze King's Landing to the ground and everyone in it. Me and Robert took a different approach. We took the throne so that we could make the rules and there would be no comeuppance for us. You have no such chance, if you rise against Renly or I you will be crushed by the weight of the realm like your father is now."  
Jaime smiled then. "You would do well not to underestimate him."

"I have been warned don't worry, now if you will excuse me I am expecting our new king to arrive in the city today and I must put things in order. We shall have to get this over with now." Ned said sternly.

"What is that?" Jaime asked, a touch of fear attempting to creep into his voice.

"The realm believes that you dishonour your vows for the fun of it. You and I shall prove them wrong. You have two oaths to make. One is to deliver Ser Amory Lorch to Prince Doran Martell for justice for his actions in the sacking of King's Landing. I hear that Ser Gregor Clegane is settling quite nicely into his new home in the Sunspear dungeons." Ned said with a chuckle at the end. "But any man who rapes princesses and smashes babies heads against walls deserves it wouldn't you agree?"

"It seems as though I have no choice but to agree." He said grudgingly. "The second oath?"

"You shall never raise you sword against the Stark family for as long as you shall live. You have been out of this war under captivity. The gods say that you are innocent but the gods don't hold the keys to your shackles or command the king's justice. We are letting you go free under these conditions, if you refuse to take these vows, I shall cut the head from your shoulders myself." Ned said in a near growl at the end, and Jaime had been genuinely scared.

Ned had clearly sent him home in time for the siege as part of a test of Jaime's vows; if he joined the battle then he would be killed. Ned was a clever man, much more clever than most people thought. He was driving a wedge into the Lannister family, tearing them apart from the inside. So here he was, two oaths and a long journey later leaving the castle stables and making his way inside the massive building on foot. The doors opened for him and he nodded to the doormen and strolled across the stone floor to the flight of stairs on the left hand side of his room. His rooms were close to the library so Jaime went there and splashed water on his face. _He is just a man_. Jaime thought to himself. He removed his cloak and sword belt and walked out into the hallway and made his way to the library door.

He heard his father before he saw him and knew that Kevan was receiving a bollocking for not following some order correctly. Tywin halted his rant as the door opened and saw Jaime standing there dead still. His father had a jagged scar down the right side of his face from the hairline to the jaw, the scar went over his eye and Tywin had a red bandage wrapped around his eye. Jaime found it hard to make words come to his mouth.

"It is good that you are alive, my son." Tywin said awkwardly, looking at the floor.

"Thank you father, I am sorry for your loss." He said gesturing to his father's eye.

"It's quite alright, it helps instil fear into our enemies, and our men." Tywin said in his dead flat tone.

"Is Tyrion not here?" Jaime asked as his heart skipped a beat. "Is he angry with me?"

"Your brother was captured by the enemy on the battlefield some time ago, I have heard nothing since." Tywin said, his face showing no emotion.

Jaime's blood began bubbling but he had been through this anger before and pushed it down. "Why was my brother on the battlefield? He is far better designed for strategy."

"He volunteered Jaime." Tywin said looking up and shrugging his shoulders; Jaime looked at the floor in acceptance. "A letter arrived for you unsigned. I did not presume to open it when I found out you were returning home. It is in your quarters."

Jaime smiled. "It may be urgent, I had best read it." He turned to leave.

"Wait." His father said, his voice slightly raised.

Jaime stopped instantly and turned around, trying to keep his face emotionless. "When you have finished reading, join me and Kevan in the dungeons, there are prisoners to interrogate."

"I am aware. It is the talk of the entire realm I am told." Jaime said before spinning on his heel and striding out of the room and back into his room. He found the letter on the table beside the bed and broke the seal before sitting down, he unfolded the letter and his heart raced instantly. _This is Tyrion's writing_.

_Dear Jaime,_

_I want you to know that I will forever be sorry that my presence in this world came at the cost of our mother's life but it is for the love you claim that you bear me that I hope you read these words. I had heard that you were to fight Lord Stannis in a trial for your life so I saw no need to send this to King's Landing as you will be returning home innocent in no time I am sure. Father is insatiable, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants and he will sacrifice anything along the way. Although I suppose I would be as inconsequential of a loss to him as his horse would be nevertheless our dear father told Lord Robb to kill me when he was asked for ransom. I feel as if I am no longer welcome in the family when two out of three would rather see me dead than alive. I hope that you will read these words and know the truth and see the truth and get away from the truth as fast as you can. Find a truth of your own Jaime. Father is just a man._

_Father is just a man_. Jaime was dumbstruck. _He lied tom my face, after I nearly was executed_. Jaime could hardly believe it, but Tyrion had never lied to him, and after the lie that Jaime had told, that his father had forced him to tell, he could hardly feel any more guilty than he did right now. _He would not sacrifice gold for my brother, his son!_ Jaime almost felt sick to his stomach. _He turned my Cersei into a scheming evil bitch_. Jaime got up and began pacing, his mind was in turmoil, he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Eventually his mind slowed down and he decided he would keep this close, his father was bound to be crushed and if he is close to victory then Jaime would simply get retribution for his childhood as well as his brother and sisters. _I am already the Kingslayer why not try being a kinslayer for a while._

He buckled his sword belt back on and put his emotionless mask on as he walked out the door. When he reached the entrance hallway once again he descended the steps and found his cousin Daven and his uncle Stafford waiting at the gates to the jail and dungeon rooms. Jaime smiled when he saw his cousin, they had been rather close growing up, along with Adam Marbrand.

Daven chuckled through his bushy blonde beard and pulled Jaime into a tight hug. Jaime laughed and gripped him back. He shook hands with Stafford. "Good move against Stannis, by the way." Daven said straight away.

Jaime chuckled. "You were there?"

Daven smiled. "Of course not cousin but the story has been told numerous times. A single move kill is a hard move to perfect, especially against Stannis Baratheon."

"The poison made him cocky. And vulnerable."

Stafford laughed. "In any case we are glad you're alive Jaime, and glad to have you back home for good. But you need to speak to your father, he must surrender, or thousands more of us will die."

"If my father will not listen to the death cries of his own men then I doubt he will listen to anything I have to say." Jaime said. "Has word reached us of Cersei's death yet?"  
"No word from the capital in a while, your fathers spies are being hard pressed I hear, rooted out by those Sand Snakes from Dorne." His uncle replied.

"I am sure it will in time." Jaime said, his voice on the verge of cracking. "Father does not like to be kept waiting."

Jaime gave his cousin a hug again before striding past them and down the long dark stairwell. He used to be scared when he had to walk down here as a child, but Jaime had been through too much to be scared of such trivial things. He followed the voices and found his father and uncle waiting outside of a solid wooden door.

"They are all in here?" Jaime asked instantly.

"Ser Snowblade and his squire are in this particular one, I put the Snow boy separate." Tywin muttered

Jaime gulped, his little half-brother must have gone through some transformation since Winterfell; much like Robb Stark. A boy forced to grow up by the conditions around him. "No one has said anything so far?"

"I am afraid not." Tywin said simply.

"You tried torture yet?" Jaime asked warily.

Tywin looked at him sharply. "If it comes to that, I will." _Bastard, absolute bastard_.

Jaime just nodded and indicated to the door. "Shall we?"

Tywin shook his head slowly before opening the door and strolling in with purpose. Jaime stepping lightly inside after Kevan, and his Uncle Kevan closed the door behind him making an echo through the whole dungeon room. Jaime saw a young dark haired boy a bit younger than Tyler sitting on the floor in ankle and wrist chains, Jaime could nearly feel his underlying anger. He looked up to the far wall and saw his little brother pinned to the wall by chains with his arms and legs spread-eagled and completely unable of performing any movement.

"By my count we have been back in Casterly Rock for roughly five or so days, what took you so long my dear father?" Tyler asked sarcastically.

"Hello Tyler." Jaime said. "Long time no see."

"Long time no talk you mean, I believe we saw each other when I was beating your sadistic monstrosity of a son to a pulp." Tyler said, chuckling out of his dry cracked lips.

"All the same, I am glad you have survived this long." Jaime said, finding that he actually meant it.

"Of course you are. How else would you and Tywin be able to torture and question me?" He said, his voice becoming angrier.

"Enough with the idle chatter." Tywin said commandingly. Jaime fell silent.

"Big, bad, scary, old man." Tyler said, laughing again. "Yes, you had best stop making small talk, old Tywin here can't wait to start tearing strips of flesh from his own son."

"You shut your mouth boy." Tywin warned.

"Well that won't bode well for your interrogation but that's your call." Tyler remarked as his squire tried to hold back a laugh.

Tywin absolutely smashed a backhand into Tyler's left side of his jaw and his half brother just whooped and laughed. "Now I'm awake." Tyler shouted as Jaime nearly chuckled himself. "You'll have to pardon me if I do fall asleep though. I haven't had much of a chance lately; being pinned to wall and all that."

"You are going to answer my questions, one way or the other. So let's just make this easier for everyone in the room."

"You want to ask me questions? You can ask as many as you like and I will answer you truthfully to the best of my knowledge. But in order to do things the easy way I want to know just one thing." Tyler said before spitting out a mouthful of blood. "I want to know about my mother, where she is, what she is doing, who she is. You tell me that much and I will give you your information on a silver platter."

Tywin stood shock still and his one good eye closed tightly for a few seconds before he shook his head and looked back at his bastard son. "The way this works is I ask you a question, you answer it honestly and I don't have to pull your fingernails off or hold a burning torch to your groin." Tywin said in a near growl.

"Do your worst you heartless cunt!" Tyler nearly shouted. "You are the scum of the earth, an evil twisted pile of horse shit and whatever Renly decides to do with you will be far less than what you deserve."

Kevan gasped in surprise as Tyler finished and once again the squire began laughing and Tywin made a sudden move and threw his left boot straight into the sitting boy's nose. Jaime heard the crack and saw his father swiftly move to Tyler and grab his throat tightly and roughly.

"I will give you one more chance to start talking before I make you watch your squire being tortured and your bastard friend after him." Lord Lannister growled.

Jaime couldn't watch any longer. "Father" he nearly whispered. Tywin looked at him and the evil face slowly started drifting away. "Let me speak to him before the torture starts, I just want to be able to say I did everything I could."

Tywin looked at him confusedly and Jaime just nodded. Tywin backed away. "I am returning to my study now, when you have finished playing catch ups come and get me."

When Tywin and Kevan had left and Jaime heard them ascending the stairs he creeped out of the cell and found the keys hanging on a hook in the gaoler's room, he slipped them into his tunic pocket and found a barrel of water with small clay cups next to it, he filled up two cups and found a loaf of bread which he put under his arm and made his way back to the cell that held his brother.

Tyler laughed. "Me and Jon used this technique to get that assassin that Cersei sent to Winterfell to talk, except the good guy went first that time. But then our family has always been somewhat unorthodox am I right?"

"Well look at us, the situation we're in. Unorthodox may be too much of mild word for it." Jaime exhaled slowly and tiredly.

"I am glad Stannis died." Tyler said simply.

Jaime waited for him to elaborate but smiled when he did not. "As am I, obviously." Tyler chuckled.

Jaime went forward and unlocked his brother's shackles and caught him and lowered him to sit on the floor, he picked up the water and handed it too him and the other to his squire.

"Who is the boy?" Jaime asked.

"Gendry Waters." The squire said in a strong deep voice, he looked at Jaime who sighed and let out a long laugh.

"Robert's?" Jaime asked looking at Tyler.

Tyler nodded slowly. Jaime chuckled again. "The rightful heir to the throne. How quaint, father does not know the value of what he has.

"I won't interrogate you. I'm just going to talk to you and ask you a few things; I hope that we can talk like two civilised people."

"We can certainly try." Tyler said staring into Jaime's eyes.

"Is Tyrion dead? He sent me a letter informing me that father refused his ransom and told Robb to kill him."

Tyler chuckled. "He is not lying. After Tywin said that Robb asked Ned to tell me the situation and they let me deal with it as I saw fit."

"What did you do?" Jaime asked curiously.

"I hired him as my advisor, when the war is over I am getting lands in the north. Not that it will matter much if Tywin has his way." Tyler said sighing deeply. "He is pure evil Jaime."

"So I have been warned." Jaime said solemnly.

"Most people say the same about you, that you are worse even. I know better than they do, I can read you like a book brother. You aren't who you have been, you have grown in the shadow of Lord Tywin Lannister, he impacted the three of you in such different ways. It isn't too late to change Jaime. Father is just a man." _Just a man_.

"I know." Jaime said. "I will think on what you have said, brother."

"Will you fight alongside him, when Robb attacks?" Tyler asked scathingly.

"I made an oath to Lord Eddard Stark that I would not raise my sword against the Starks and their allies or the crown for as long as I live. I am tired of being told what little honour I have by people who just don't understand." Jaime said before turning on his heel and stalking out of the cell.

That night Jaime heard a soft knock on his door, he tiredly called out for them to wait a minute and put his underclothes back on, he saw that it was the dead of the night and everything was silent besides the odd cry from pain from a dying wounded soldier. Jaime called for the knocker to enter the room. One of the servants scurried in, a thing middle aged man with balding brown hair.

"Is Robb Stark attacking?" Jaime asked with a yawn.

"No my..."

Jaime interrupted him. "Did the prisoners escape?"

"No m'lord, it's..."

Jaime sighed. "Was my sister executed?"

"Your father ordered me not to tell you m'lord." The serving man said nervously.

Jaime grabbed his throat and lifted the man off his feet and against the wall. "You will tell me right now or I will peel your skin off piece by piece."

The man was spluttering and coughing as Jaime let go of him and he stayed on his knees hiding his head. "IS SHE ALIVE!?"

The serving man lifted his head. "I am afraid that she was beheaded a few days ago m'lord.

There was nothing, he could feel nothing, everything was upside down. Then his emotions came back and he snarled before he drew his arm back and planted the roughest right hook into the servant's temple that he could. He heard the neck snap before the tears began to fall from his bright green eyes


End file.
